


hungry like the wolf

by killerleo



Category: Glee
Genre: Dalton AU, Getting Together, Idiots in Love, M/M, seblaineweek2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:55:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 34,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25332040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/killerleo/pseuds/killerleo
Summary: season 3 dalton aublaine never transferred to mckinley, instead choosing to stay at dalton and date kurt from different schools. the arrival of sebastian kinda messes up everything in his life, but he can't seem to get him out of his head.
Relationships: Blaine Anderson/Sebastian Smythe
Comments: 9
Kudos: 108
Collections: Seblaine Week 2020





	hungry like the wolf

**Author's Note:**

> i went to check what i'd written for this prompt, and i honestly had completely forgotten that i'd written this so... just your standrad dalton s3 au, because blaine/sebastian co captains is simply what we deserved.
> 
> mostly aligns with canon apart from cooper, ik he's supposed to be after regionals originally butttt i love him and wanted him in it, so cooper anderson rights :)

The familiar chatter of students filled the corridors of Dalton, a vibrancy and energy which was so rare in high schools; teenagers looking forward to classes, animatedly talking to friends, and hurriedly going over notes. Blaine felt himself unable to stop smiling as he strode down the hallway, satchel slung over his shoulder on top of a perfectly ironed uniform. In these halls he was invincible, protected, admired, and he just  _ belonged _ . Kurt had begged him to consider transferring to McKinley, letting them be closer and spend more time with each other, and at first he had entertained the idea, the thought of being with his boyfriend everyday so intoxicating, as he loved him, loved being close to him. 

But soon after he started thinking about it, the doubts had started to creep in, weaving their ways into the cracks in the argument he had made up in his head. Kurt was only going to be there one more year anyway, and Blaine was in his junior year now, meaning his final year of high school would be in a place without Kurt. And Dalton wasn’t just his home, it was prestigious, respected, and a first class institution, with excellent academic advantages and connections to colleges which he would be blind to throw away; it could jeopardise his entire future. Importantly though, and the main point that kept hammering into his brain – he belonged at Dalton. The Warblers, his friends, everything about it was simply just where he was meant to be, a sense of comfort and acceptance which went side by side with a drive and passion. What would he do if he had go without Nick trying to do backflips and giving himself concussions, or Jeff trying to rap along to Vanilla Ice which they all hated but loved at the same time? Well, he mainly hated it but still.

He loved Kurt, he knew he did, but he couldn’t uproot everything about himself to bring himself closer to one boy who would be leaving in a year anyway, when they could love each other just as much with only a little distance. If he was going to move to New York after graduation they’d be separate anyway, so at least for now they were still in the same state? Hopefully he’d come around to agreeing, as for now he seemed less than happy, but Blaine was confident things would soon take a turn for the better. 

Now it was the first day back at class which meant the first day of the Warblers, and Blaine felt himself itching with excitement, the auditions and new recruits one of the more interesting parts of the year, both to see all the new talent but also being pretty entertaining when some people just weren’t  _ quite  _ right for them. Wes had graduated, meaning there was an open seat on the council between David and Thad, and although Blaine didn’t like to consider himself arrogant per say, there’d been enough whispers about it that he was fairly certain they were going to ask him to join. Even when he and Nick were unpacking in their dorm the other boy was filling him in on any and all rumours, including his confidence of him being allocated to it.

The last few months of no Warbler rehearsals had been practically torture, when all he wanted to do was sing and dance with the guys – yes he was aware how sad that all was. Kurt hadn’t understood his frustrations over the lack of rehearsals, which was frankly understandable seeing as how all the New Directions seemed to hate each other anyway.

He’d made it to the senior commons, arriving in time to meet his friends and exchange hugs and light wrestling before the first official meeting had started, most of them having caught up whilst arriving back in the dorms the previous night, but the energy was just different back where they were Warblers, almost vibrating with excitement. 

David and Thad had walked in, assuming their position by the desk at the head of the room, silencing them all with a quick wave of the hand. 

“Alright Warblers, first of all, welcome back everyone” David announced, pausing to allow the following cheering, before punctually cutting them all off. “As you all know, the council is left with an open seat, and whilst usually the first order of motion would be to fill it, myself and Thad have done some thinking over the summer and have an announcement to make.”

Admittedly, his phrasing was a little weird, but Blaine still felt a surge of anticipation, tapping his heel against the ground as he leant forwards a little, eager for them to stop being so bloody dramatic and pausing for effect all the time. 

Thad nodded, and crossed his arms over his chest. “Both myself and David have decided to step down from the council, in order to focus on our academics for our senior year.” An eruption of noise followed, Warblers chorusing out cries of “what the fuck?” and some very dramatic gasping. Blaine could barely believe it – no one  _ left _ the council, no one disrupted tradition in that way, Dalton still being rigidly conservative with its rules. Wes would be turning in his grave.

David waved his hands and banged down on the table, an exasperated look in his eye. “Order! Yes we know this is unprecedented, but honestly we don’t want to continue the council without Wes here, and whilst we’ll both still be active members of the Warblers, we can’t direct all our attention onto it when we have Harvard and Yale applications to consider. Instead, we have a proposal.” He gave another dramatic pause, clasping his hands together and staring round at the faces in front of him, a sea of navy and red with intrigued expressions. “We think it would be beneficial to have a captain instead, someone who can dedicate their time wholly to the group and help lead us to victory.”

A chorus of hushed whispers fell about the room, heads leaning together and eyes darting. Blaine leant back on the sofa, mind racing. Captain? He guessed it made sense, most other groups had a leader, and it could bring a little more refinement and channelled direction to the group – and if both David and That wanted to leave the council, it was a hell of a lot easier to elect one person rather than three more. Still, Dalton didn’t really react well to change, as he had learnt from his attempts last year. Although frankly, if they’d been a little stricter he could’ve avoided the whole Gap situation which would’ve saved him suffering through the most horrific event of his life. As the noise slightly died down, Thad coughed a little and straightened out his back, adjusting his tie with his hand.

“Alright, that’s our proposition, but obviously we’re a democracy here, and have some semblance of order and class.” The not so subtle hint at the New Directions didn’t exactly go unnoticed, light huffs and snickers sounded throughout the room. “So we’ll put it to a vote – if you all write down a yes or a no and then after auditions are done we’ll see how you all stand, and from there we’ll either elect three new council members or one captain.”

Murmurs of approval came up from the boys, and they lined up to write their votes down on the desk. Next to him, Blaine could hear Nick and Jeff babbling away about the recent events.

“They may have collectively lost their minds you know? I think we all understood that the council shared a single brain cell that was permanently held by Wes” Jeff snickered, nudging the boy next to him with his shoulder. Nick just huffed in agreement, lightly flicking Blaine’s arm out of boredom. 

“I don’t know, it could be a good idea if you ask me. Don’t be bitter cos you know you’d never be elected Sterling.” That was rewarded by a quick headlock, the two boys grunting and shoving each other around, before Blaine yanked them apart, laughing. 

“Fuck off Duval, we all know who’d be captain anyway, we’re basically voting if we want Blaine on the council or Blaine as captain,” he retorted, speaking simply with no hint of bitterness. If it were any other show choir, that comment would’ve undoubtedly been bitchy, a backhanded remark made out of jealousy. But although Blaine felt himself blush a little bit, he knew it wasn’t like that, the Warblers all understanding their roles and dynamics within the group, and he allowed himself to feel a little pride. 

Nevertheless, he couldn’t get cocky, so he just snorted and shoved them both forwards in the line. “Not necessarily guys, someone new could audition and blow us all away, you never know.” He paused slightly and tilted his head. “Or we could all get drugged and elect Meatbox, it could go either way.” They all chuckled, before arriving at the desk and filling out their votes. Blaine pondered for a second, but in his heart he always knew he’d vote for change, for the new and exciting option, the one that thrilled him and made him a little nervous but would be worth it in the end. The three of them were the last to vote, so when they were all done Thad and David resumed their position at the front.

“Ok Warblers, auditions start tomorrow morning, 9am sharp. The council usually decides on who gets in or not, and so to make it fair, me and David will remain as active council members for now and invite Warbler’s Blaine and Nick to help us with the executive decision, as some of our more experienced members. Now, let’s get to it.”

~

The rest of the rehearsal had gone swimmingly, the boys just using their first meeting back to play around with different songs and ideas, nothing too serious as they didn’t have their new members yet, just a chance to re-find their sound and adjust to being without the previous seniors. Blaine missed Wes, his face had been a constant in his time at Dalton and a familiar comfort, always providing him with guidance and advice, now an empty place where he had been. But he didn’t let that get in the way of enjoying himself, as he and David performed It’s Not Unusual for the rest of the Warblers, laughing through the choreography. 

That night, he and Nick stayed up chatting, both Trent and Thad dropping by for a bit to catch up before heading back to their rooms. Jeff had a new roommate, apparently a transfer student from Paris who also played lacrosse, so he had decided to try and get to know him a bit, help him settle in – good for his roommate, bad for Blaine who then had to put up with a jealous Nick for the rest of the evening. He hoped for his sake that Jeff didn’t get on  _ too _ well with his roommate because Blaine didn’t think he could take anymore stroppy Nick, or any more pillows chucked at his head. 

He’d unpacked the rest of his stuff, organising his photos and posters, always keen to personalise his space as much as he could to compensate for the daily uniform. Not that he didn’t love the blazer – he often felt naked without it – but the feeling of originality was nice sometimes too. 

As he lay in bed, silence in their room after Nick had finally managed to doze off, he stared down at his phone, his last text to Kurt gone opened and ignored. He couldn’t shake the feeling of dejection that ran through him, his boyfriend having been so distant ever since he’d started back at Dalton, not explicitly saying he was pissed, but the passive aggressive undertones to all his messages suggesting otherwise.

Blaine had filled him in on all the Warbler updates, including the new council/captain scandal, but Kurt remained thoroughly unimpressed, just making a passing comment about how Blaine would get either role without trying, so it didn’t really matter anyway. He’d brushed it off as a joke, but it had hurt way more than he wanted to admit, confused over the bitterness and somewhat jealousy sent his way. He put his phone down by the bed and tucked it away, determined to get some sleep before the auditions tomorrow, trying to push the doubts about his boyfriend out of his mind.

~

“Thank you for your time, we’ll be posting the results tomorrow.”

The door closed behind the freshman as he left the commons, and Nick groaned loudly and slammed his head on the table as soon as he was out of earshot, mumbles of agreement coming from the other Warblers. 

“Oh my god can no one at this school sing? How is it possible that the only people with any talent at all are already in this room?”

Thad patted his back comfortingly, but his face expressing the same sentiment. They’d been listening to out of time, flat, and just plain boring performances for over an hour now, and Blaine was close to ripping off his own ears. Apparently just about anyone wanted to audition for them, regardless of talent. Luckily, very few seniors had left so they only had a couple of places to fill, but it was looking pretty dire at the moment. Blaine couldn’t even bring himself to be entertained by the shitshow’s of performances at this point, they all just blurred into one. There had been two decent auditions, both sophomores who could just about hold a tune, nothing remarkable but if needs be could be slotted into vocal arrangements to flesh out the tenor part with little damage. 

“Alright who’s up next?” David asked, looking down at the list in front of him. He scanned through the names before putting his finger down. “Sebastian Smythe. Ok let him in.” He nodded at the Warbler on the door who went outside and grabbed their newest prospect. 

  
The boy who walked in made Blaine’s mouth dry up completely. He was tall, long legs which went on  _ forever _ walking with a purposeful agility, his lean body looking like it was sculpted to be in that Dalton uniform, which lay across his broad shoulders beautifully. High cheekbones were dusted with freckles on pale skin, underneath bright green eyes which gleamed with life and ambition, burning into Blaine. He swallowed, hard, and tried to maintain composure in front of one of the most attractive people he’d ever seen. He wasn’t too sure it worked. 

Sebastian walked to the centre of the room, stopping directly in front of Blaine, hands loose by his side. “Sebastian Smythe” he announced, giving a small nod.

“Are you a freshman?” he blurted out, unable to stop himself from asking the question. The three boys next to him all simultaneously turned to stare, light amusement and disbelief on their faces at Blaine’s pure idiocy. 

“Do I look like a freshman?” Sebastian replied smoothly, quirking an eyebrow and giving him a slight smirk, completely unfazed by his question. Blaine just managed to open his mouth then immediately close it again, feeling his face warm up.

Nick gave Sebastian a quick up and down, before frowning slightly. “You’re Jeff’s new roommate aren’t you? He’s mentioned your name now that I remember. You’re a junior.” Sebastian just nodded, leaning back on the balls of his feet slightly. Blaine bit his cheek to stop himself from laughing at the blatantly jealous look on Nick’s face as he realised this was the guy sharing a room with Jeff, as he looked about 5 seconds from leaping across the table and strangling him.

“Yeah, I transferred from living in France with my mother for a few years, another private school but had a pretty big focus on the performing arts, I danced competitively over there.” That certainly piqued their interest, Blaine could literally feel David sit up straighter next to him, the prospect of someone with actual talent very exciting. Especially with dance, as whilst the Warblers could definitely hold their own choreography wise, they didn’t do anything particularly complex, sticking to pretty simple stuff. 

Thad smiled at him and crossed his arms appreciatively. “Alright then Sebastian, show us what you got.”

Sebastian nodded his head and moved back slightly. Seeing as auditions were single, they didn’t have the Warblers back them up, as there was no way they could learn all those audition songs, especially when the majority of them didn’t even get in. The backing track faded in and Sebastian started to sing Elvis Bishop’s ‘Fooled Around and Fell in Love’. The song was perfectly smooth as well as powerful, carrying the jazzy tones of carefree runs and virtuosic singing, with the drive behind the fluctuating register that demonstrated a superior vocal ability. In a word, he was mesmerising.

Blaine found himself completely unable to look away the entire performance, the song slow and careful so it didn’t call for much choreography, but the subtle movements of his body showcased his dance ability, every slight turn and sway connoting a musicality and flexibility which was unavoidable. Sebastian performed with a quiet confidence, like he knew how good he was, a trait which Blaine knew he also shared, the love for singing and being on a stage something which they didn’t have to feel bad about. Their eyes met throughout the song, green eyes boring into honey ones, Blaine feeling his face warm up with every connection, frozen to his chair, barely breathing. Kurt flashed through his mind, flooding him with guilt, but he could deny this reaction to Sebastian, easily saying it was just an excitement to see a good audition for the Warblers, an appreciation of talent. He wished it sounded more believable. 

The song drew to a close, Sebastian ending up where he started, standing right in front of Blaine, his cheeks a little pink with exertion and lips slightly parted, but still looking as pristine as ever, a confidence on his face as he knew he’d completely smashed it.

They all clapped, Nick adding brash ‘whoops’ along with it, both David and Thad grinning ear to ear. 

“Excellent, thank you Sebastian. We’re posting the results tomorrow, so definitely keep an eye out” David announced, hands clasped together, no subtlety at all in his voice. Sebastian returned the nod, and smiled proudly, before locking his eyes with Blaine’s again, an underlying hunger in his look that didn’t go unnoticed as he focused on him and then tossed him a quick wink, that made Blaine look away as quickly as possible, cheeks red. As smoothly as he came in, he turned around and left the commons, loud chatter and hums of approval echoing throughout the room after he left.

“Right well he’s in, and that dance background sounds very promising indeed, we could use that” Thad mused, looking eager at the thought of the new Warbler. Next to him Nick scoffed loudly and looked at Blaine.

“Yeah I think Anderson is definitely on board with that.” Blaine furrowed his brow and flipped him off, ignoring the scattered laughter in the room. Yes, his freshman comment was weird, and he must’ve looked like a deer caught in the headlights that entire performance, but sometimes his body and mind just did weird things, no big deal. David chuckled next to him, and stood up from his chair, moving round to speak to all the Warblers in the room. 

“Thad and I counted the votes from the decision yesterday, and it was nearly unanimous.” He paused, dragging his eyes around the room, another dramatic silence to build suspense. “We will be moving forward this year with no more council, and instead be electing a captain.”

Scattered applause and chatter broke out, mostly smiling faces at the news. Blaine felt a few people turn to look at him, which fuelled his ego more than a little, quietly grinning at the news, encouraged by goofy thumbs up from his friends.

“Tomorrow, when we have our new members involved into the group, we’ll discuss who will take on the position, and it could be anyone, even someone who joins this year, so everyone be aware” David finished, before curtly nodding, signifying the end of the auditions. Blaine felt giddy with excitement, eager to start their new year and sink their teeth into new numbers. 

~

“And tomorrow we’ll find out about the new captain, we’ll probably all vote or something, not sure if they’ll make us audition for it, seems pretty futile, _ ” _ Blaine spoke down the phone, as he lay on his bed, legs splayed out in front of him and head rested on the pillow. 

_ “Sounds fun, I think we both know you’re going to get it Blaine, I wouldn’t worry”  _ Kurt replied, his voice slightly tinny through the phone speakers. It was in the evening, and he and Kurt had been on the phone for a while now, Blaine calling to catch him up on the audition process and his day of classes. McKinley was a little different, he’d mentioned something about piano’s being set on fire across the campus, which was beyond insane, but apparently a regular occurrence at that school.

“Well it would be nice, but I’m just happy to be back singing with everyone again, I’m not gonna push for anything.” He had brought up Sebastian in passing, feeling like if he didn’t mention that particular audition then it would be wrong, as if he was trying to hide something. He didn’t go into any details, just saying that Jeff’s new roommate had tried out and was actually decent with a dance background, trying to sound as nonchalant as he could. Kurt had said anything if he had noticed, just humming indifferently, which he did a lot of these days.

_ “Must be nice, think there’s been at least 2 fights here already. Quinn has gone completely off the deep end, full on pink hair, smoking, Ryan Seacrest tattoo.” _

“Wow, all that trauma must’ve caught up to her, poor girl. Hope things get better over there” he replied, trying to envisage Quinn Fabray as an edgy teen, which was pretty difficult. He’d never known her well, but she’d always seemed nice enough, and had gone through a lot over the last 2 years. 

_ “Well I’m sure it’ll never be as good as Dalton.”  _ Kurt’s voice sounded like he was trying to be funny, but the undeniable bitterness was transparent, cutting through his words harshly, as Blaine sucked in a quick breath. They’d managed to go through an entire conversation so far without any tension, any mention of Blaine’s decision to stay, but he should’ve known it was too good to be true.

_ “Sorry, Blaine. That didn’t come out like I meant it to.” _

He just sighed, and dragged a hand over his face, Kurt’s voice sounding fairly remorseful at his tone at least. “It’s ok, Kurt, I know you didn’t mean to.”

There was a slight pause, and Blaine heard Kurt let out a deep breath on the other end of the phone.  _ “Sorry, I need to go, Carol’s just made dinner.” _

Blaine knew it was probably too late for them to be eating in the Hummel house, but bit his tongue and didn’t say anything, instead just letting his eyes fall shut.

“Alright, I’ll talk to you later?” The line cut off before he could even finish his sentence, the glaring silence cutting into his ear. Across the room Nick propped himself up on his elbows to peer over, worry lines deep on his face.

“Everything ok bud?” he asked, giving Blaine an overly sympathetic look. God, he must look pathetic if Nick was using that voice on him. He breathed out heavily, hoisting himself up until he sat back against the wall, head leaning on his hand.

“Fine, Nick. Just still a little difficult being at different schools, that’s all. Plus Kurt’s a senior, so this year is pretty stressful for him you know?” Nick raised an eyebrow, not looking particularly convinced. If he was being honest, Blaine wasn’t even convincing himself, he knew this shouldn’t be this hard, that he shouldn’t feel so shitty all the time.

“He still upset you didn’t transfer? Cos that’s not on you dude, you know that you made the right decision in staying here, this is your home.” Nick’s voice was soft, his words affirming and comforting, but still spoken tentatively at him. Blaine just nodded, sighing deeply and letting his head fall back against the wall, playing with the hem of his old hoodie. He just wished things could be like they were, back in sophomore year when everything was easier. 

Relationships weren’t supposed to be no work at all, but they shouldn’t be difficult, not when you care about one another. He just shook his head, blinking hard to get out of his rut. If he put the effort in, and he believed in his relationship, everything would get better. It had to.

~

The following day, the list of new Warbler’s was posted. The two average sophomores had made it, probably aware they’d be delegated to just background harmonies but still happy to be part of the most popular group in the school. Obviously, Sebastian had made the cut, to the surprise of absolutely no one. Blaine felt a smile and light flush on his cheeks when he read the paper stuck on the door of the senior commons, not quite sure what to do with that emotion. 

They’d all gathered in the senior commons, the first meeting with their full line up, David and Thad stood by the head table, still assuming temporary leadership roles before they all came to a decision. Blaine was sitting on one of the leather sofas, excitedly drumming his fingers against his thigh whilst squashed up next to Meatbox, who was very leisurely sat taking up about half of the furniture. Over by the side he could see Sebastian, hands in his pockets and leant against the wall, a relaxed expression on his face as he looked calmly around the room. He and Jeff had arrived together, apparently getting on well from what he could see, before Jeff came over and sat near Blaine and Nick. 

“Ok everyone, so first of all I’d like to welcome our newest Warblers, James, Simon, and Sebastian.” David paused so everyone could clap, the three boys smiling around the room at the celebratory faces. “And as you all know, we are changing things up a little this year, moving away from a council and instead electing a captain to run the Warblers. Thad and I have decided we’ll use this time for anyone who wishes to put themselves forward and argue their case, and then we’ll go about it all democratically.” Murmurs of agreement sounded, and Blaine felt a rush of adrenaline, knowing that he already had the favour of a lot of the boys in the room, and wasn’t threatened by the idea of public speaking, especially not in this crowd. “Is there anyone who would like to step forwards?”

Several faces turned to look at Blaine, and he stood up almost automatically, his enthusiasm earning him a few good natured chuckles. Thad nodded his head and motioned for him to take the floor. “Ok Blaine, you’re up first, just run down why you think you’re suited for the role.”

He took a deep breath and strode into the centre of the room, pausing to look round at all the Warblers, not letting his gaze falter on Sebastian any longer than it should. 

“As most of you all know, my name is Blaine Anderson, and I’m a junior here at Dalton. Since I joined, I’ve been a forthcoming and involved member of the choir, taking solo’s in all my competitions, encouraging change and diversity, and being a prolific and active performer not just on stage, but in this room too. The Warblers are my life here at Dalton, and it would mean the world to me to be able to represent us further and lead us to the victories that I know we could achieve. You all know from my past performances not just how seriously I take this but how well I am at it. I can do vocal arrangements, choreography, and have extensive musical knowledge. I have not just the talent, but the passion for this role, and I trust you all feel the same. Thank you.” 

He finished his speech with a slight bow, breathing out with a smile, taking in the loud applause and cheering from his peers. So what, it was a little practiced? He wanted this  _ badly _ , so may have spent an hour or so reciting it in his mirror, he wanted it to be perfect. 

Public speaking had always given him a bit of a thrill, and he was confident he’d delivered something authentic and meaningful, as well as rehearsed. Anyway, none of the other Warblers’ had even mentioned going for the position, so he wasn’t sure if there was even going to be any competition. Everyone from last year knew how well he performed and the strong role he had within the team, so he doubted there was going to be much resistance. Again, he wasn’t  _ arrogant _ , just self-assured.

“Thank you very much Warbler Blaine, that was a commendable speech” Thad announced, once the clapping had gone down. “Now, is there anyone else that would like to come forwards?”

The room went quiet, heads turning round to crane at one another, everyone checking for signs of movement. For a second, it looked as if Blaine was going to accept the role by default.

Until someone moved from the side of the room, a light cough emitted from where he stood.

“I’d like to put myself forwards.” Blaine whipped his head round, mouth open at the sight of Sebastian as he strode casually towards the centre of the room, standing a little taller than the people around him. The room was silent, clearly no one expecting someone else to come forwards, let alone someone who’d just joined the Warblers that very day, and especially given his confident and unfussed attitude.

David just nodded, seemingly unfazed. “Ok Sebastian, say what you’d like.” The taller boy smiled lightly at him, then turned to face the rest of the room, expression calm yet with a determination in his eyes that Blaine recognised from his own face.

“My name is Sebastian Smythe, I’m a junior just like Anderson, and I’ve just moved to Ohio from Paris where I’ve lived the past two years. I know me stepping forwards is a surprise, as this is my first day in the Warblers, but don’t excuse my lack of time at Dalton as not being successful.” He paused, looking at the faces in front of him, speaking with an insane amount of confidence that Blaine wasn’t sure he was impressed or threatened by. 

Maybe both.

“In Paris I competed nationally in dance, both performing as well as choreographing, as well as singing as a school representative. I was captain of our choir, and we received many commendations and awards under my leadership. I’m smart, talented, driven, and will do whatever it takes to win. I have no affiliations with other show choirs, and don’t rely on any past performances to prove myself, and I know that under me we can go on to nationals, not just regionals.” The latter half of his speech was blunt, and clearly shocked everyone coming from the spattering of whispers that broke out when he finished. What really shook Blaine, was the raucous round of applause that erupted, the whole room taken by his speech. He couldn’t believe it. 

Where had those personal attacks come from? The comments about affiliations with other show choirs, relying on past performances, and ‘only’ getting to regionals were clear digs at Blaine himself, digs which had apparently gone down well.

He looked over to Sebastian who met his eyes with a cool stare, giving him a slight wink and a quirked lip, which infuriated Blaine to no end. He knew what he did. 

David clapped his hands loudly, signally the end of the applause and for everyone to calm down. “Ok ok, thank you Sebastian, that was clear and convincing. Well done.” Blaine shot David a look, since when was he on Smythe’s side? “We have two choices here, both fairly different, but both equally viable. Now we’re a democracy, so it’s up to all of you who we pick.”

Nick’s hand shot up in the air, his ass nearly lifting up with him as he almost vibrated in his seat. Thad’s eyebrows shot up, and he gave a light sigh and eye roll at the sight, and just waved his hand in Nick’s direction to allow him to talk.

“I have a suggestion, if that’s ok with you all?” David slowly nodded at him to continue, an inquisitive look on his face. “I know this whole captain thing is about having one person lead us, and like I get that, totally” Nick explained, standing up to talk and moving his hands around animatedly. Blaine had a horrible,  _ horrible _ , feeling that he knew where this was going, and there was a very high chance his roommate was going to find himself smothered to death by a pillow tonight. “But we have two very talented and seemingly dedicated people here, one of whom specialises in choreography, and the other in vocal arrangements. Would it be too ridiculous to suggest the notion of co captains?”

Uh, yes. Yes it would Nicholas. 

He wanted to blurt out that he could do choreography too thank you very much but saying that in front of Sebastian and his obviously superior skills would just be a little redundant. Instead, he just stared daggers at Nick, not saying anything to contest his little outburst, but not allowing himself to look very happy about it either. Infuriatingly, Sebastian seemed somewhat  _ pleased _ with the idea, an eyebrow raised by the ghost of a smile on his lips, and he just looked over to Blaine and smirked, relishing in his frustration. 

Noise simmered from the rest of the Warblers, murmurings of agreements bubbling up, and he could see a lot more heads nodding than not, for some reason. Blaine whipped his head to stare at David and Thad, silently begging for help but being received with amused and interested faces, the two of them whispering to one another quickly and quietly. David gave a quick nod and turned to look back at everyone.

“Thank you for that idea Warbler Nick, it is definitely something that Thad and I could get behind. It seems to have sparked results amongst the rest of you, and we’re keen to get this matter resolved as quickly as possible so we can properly get into rehearsals and stop all this administration stuff, which is frankly way less interesting than music and not what we’re here for. I’d like to bring this to a vote, now.” Blaine’s eyes widened even further, barely believing what was happening. That attractive, smug, face had been here for one day and was already about to become a captain? What the fuck was happening? 

“All in favour of making Anderson and Smythe co-captains of the Dalton Academy Warblers, effective immediately?” Thad called out, before raising his hand in the air. The entire room moved in a sea of navy, every single hand apart from Blaine’s raised in the air. He looked at his friends (traitors) and frowned, before realising he was the one person not agreeing, and that wasn’t the best way to start the year, so sighed deeply and raised his own hand in the air, making it unanimous. Sebastian just looked at him and grinned, green eyes glowing in the room, his arm outstretched high, the long limb reaching above everyone else’s.

David walked over to the desk and banged the gavel down, confirming Blaine’s nightmare. “It’s official, from today we have co-captains in Blaine Anderson and Sebastian Smythe! We will end this meeting here and leave it to our new leaders to decide where to take it after today, myself and Thad are grateful for your support, and the next time we’re here, we’ll be just the same as you.”

Applause broke out again, and cheers to commemorate the two ex-council members, before everyone slowly started to trickle out, headed to get coffee or study, talking animatedly as they all left. Blaine was rooted to the stop, still trying to get his head around what just happened. Nick gave him a light punch on the shoulder as he went past, face slightly guilty as Jeff just tugged him out the room before he could open his mouth and make everything worse the way that only Nick could. Eventually, it was only Blaine and Sebastian left in the room together. The taller boy sauntered over, hands in his pockets, until he stood in front of Blaine.

“Well, that went pretty unexpectedly” Sebastian announced, tone lazy and casual as he looked down at Blaine in front of him, bright eyes boring into his face. 

Blaine just scoffed, grinding his teeth together and letting his head fall back. “Right, so when you decided to run for captain after being here for one day –  _ one _ day, and go for a personal attack, that was unexpected was it?” Sebastian just chuckled lightly, seemingly not phased by Blaine’s not too restrained anger, and that was  _ very _ annoying.

“Look killer, didn’t mean to offend you, just thought it would help my case honestly.” He shrugged, and took a hand out his pocket to run through his hair. “I meant what I said – I’ll do whatever it takes to win, and I know I can be good for this choir. I’ve watched performance footage of you online, and I’m more than impressed – I didn’t step forward to try and be better than you. You sing like a dream and have an ass to die for, I’m not trying to take anything from you.” Sebastian spoke frankly and earnestly, with confidence so entwined with his words it came out so naturally. Blaine felt himself flush at the compliments, so brazen and bold he didn’t really know what to do with himself. 

“If we work together, we can take this team to nationals, and I truly believe that Anderson. Don’t fight me on this, we’re on the same side.”

Blaine narrowed his eyes and huffed out. “I want to believe that, but how can I trust someone who would attack my personal life like that? It hardly seemed fair Sebastian.”

“Alright, I apologise. Next time I won’t bring up your unfortunate boyfriend” he replied, rolling his eyes at Blaine’s sputtering. “Jeff told me everything, get angry at him not me. Look, we’re co-captains now and that means we need to work together, seamlessly. If we’re not on the same page then neither are the Warblers.”

Blaine sighed, he knew Sebastian was right, no matter how annoying that was to admit. He just wished that the taller boy didn’t send his brain into overdrive whenever their eyes met, or when he glimpsed that long expanse of neck or dusting of freckles. They hadn’t even worked together properly yet and he could already feel complications coming on and was afraid what more one on one time would do. Especially due to Sebastian’s completely unabashed way that he looked at him, eyes not hesitating to look him up and down, mentally undressing him in a way which should’ve made him feel vulnerable, but just made him shiver. It was a recipe for a complete fucking disaster that’s what it was.

“Why don’t we meet on Wednesday, an hour before Warbler practice, where we can sort out exactly what we’ll do in the rehearsal, it gives you time to collect yourself and have a good old vent about me to your little boyfriend, how about that?” Sebastian offered, smirking lightly and rocking on the balls of his feet, clearly amused. 

“Sounds fine, bring some song suggestions along with choreography notes and we’ll go from there.” Blaine spoke abruptly, trying to conceal his emotions as best as he could, but he wasn’t exactly as good as that as Sebastian evidently was.

The taller boy flashed him a smile and a wink, straightening up his back. “Perfect, I’ll be thinking about you killer” he offered, before turning to walk out the room, all long strides and elegance. Blaine hated him.

~

Despite the fact that he and Sebastian weren’t having their first co-captain meeting for two days, that didn’t mean that he was free from seeing the other boy. Somehow, they’d ended up in the majority of the same classes, both being AP students, and Sebastian’s position as Jeff’s roommate meant he was hanging around Blaine’s immediate group of friends more often than he’d like. 

It was infuriating. 

He was a complete asshole, but a ridiculously charming and charismatic one, which apparently overshadowed any mocking behaviour in the eyes of the Warblers, entertaining them all with his enthralling anecdotes and cheeky smiles. Blaine wasn’t jealous, he was just frustrated. It wasn’t fair, this new guy being ridiculously attractive as well as talented, and now clearly popular. Even their teachers liked him - Blaine thought he was going to break his eyes from rolling them so hard whenever they were in French and Sebastian slipped into the language with a practised fluency which made their professor practically fucking swoon. 

The fact that things with Kurt hadn’t exactly improved much over the last few days didn’t help, tension still rife between them, both kind of edge whenever they called or texted. Dalton didn’t hesitate to pile on the workload and McKinley was just kind of all over the place, so they hadn’t had a chance to see each other in person since term started, which definitely didn’t help their situation. Now it was Tuesday, and they’d pencilled in a coffee date at the Lima Bean a week ago, determined to be able to see one another amidst their hectic lives.

Blaine arrived at the café, feeling the familiar rush of warm air and smell of roasted coffee flood over him, scanning around the room for his boyfriend, before locating that sharp coif of hair over by their usual table near the centre of the room. He took a deep breath, composing himself, mentally reassuring himself that everything was fine, they were going to be fine. It had just been because they hadn’t seen each other in a while, right?

“Hey you” he announced as he walked over to his boyfriend, letting a broad smile spill over his face, and leaned down to press a light kiss on his soft cheek. PDA was still something they didn’t really do, Kurt uncomfortable with doing things like that in public in Ohio, which Blaine could more than understand. 

“Hey you,” Kurt replied, smiling sweetly and sliding over a cup of coffee, which Blaine appreciated  _ very _ much. “How’s everything going over at Dalton, with the Warblers?”

Blaine had filled Kurt in on the whole Sebastian/co-captains situation, carefully omitting certain details, such as the other boys flirtatious habits and sinful levels of hotness, instead focusing more on the whole ‘he’s-an-asshole-and-i-don’t-want-to-work-with-him’ aspect of it. He just sighed and took a long drink, wanting to choose his words carefully, in case Kurt tried to leeway the conversation into transfer talk.

“It’s good, really. Classes are definitely picking up, I can already notice the difference in workload from last year, but nothing I can’t handle.” He played with the rim of his cup, eyes focused on the table in front of him. “Tomorrow is the first proper Warbler rehearsal, and the first time I’ll be working with Sebastian – we’re gonna meet up an hour before to run through our ideas and stuff, hopefully it’ll be ok.”

Kurt scoffed and leaned over to touch Blaine’s hand gently. “If he’s difficult then I’m sure the other boys will see it too, and the whole thing will be over soon, you can be back on top.”

He breathed out and rubbed a hand over his face, groaning slightly, Kurt just didn’t  _ get _ it. “I don’t want it to come to that, I don’t mind sharing the spotlight or anything like that at all, it’s not about me being in charge. This just isn’t the way I thought this year would go, and I’m not sure if I know where it’s going.” That was definitely the wrong thing to say, shit.

“You know there’s always McKinley…”. And there it was, those dreaded words. Why couldn’t Kurt see that just because there was a slight spanner in how he imagined the year going that didn’t mean he was willing to give up all his friends, academic prospects, and place in a prestigious institution? Being slightly annoyed about the cocky new co-captain of his show choir didn’t exactly translate to ‘oh I better just fuck off to another school to make that 3 high schools in 3 years’.

“No, Kurt, it’s not like that. Sebastian will be fine, ok, I’m sure we’ll be able to work together.”

Kurt frowned slightly and opened his mouth to respond, but his eyes trailed upwards and he quickly shut his mouth.

“I heard my name, there’s a joke about speaking of the devil in there somewhere but I’ll let you fill in the gaps.” 

Great. Sebastian. His timing was so bad it was practically comical, but it was mainly just horrifying and like a car crash waiting to happen.

Blaine turned around, tilting his head up to see his co-captain stood with a shit eating grin on his face, one hand lightly curled around a takeaway cup, the other in his pocket. Somehow, he managed to look incredible even in the shitty Lima Bean lighting, which highlighted his angled cheekbones and fair freckles, green eyes shining. Fuck, he had to stop noticing how attractive he was, absolutely no good could ever come of that. He swallowed deeply and brought his gaze up, so their eyes met, and Sebastian raised a single eyebrow, looking expectantly. Right, Blaine should probably say something rather than just, stare.

“Hey Sebastian, I didn’t know you came here.” That was not the best thing he could’ve said. Quickly, he coughed a little and turned his body so that he could see both Sebastian and Kurt, the latter of whom looked pretty unhappy. “This is Kurt, my boyfriend. The one from, uh, McKinley.” His voice sounded weak, he knew it, unable to move on from the clear tension in the conversation.

Sebastian looked over at Kurt, gave him a quick once over, and fixed a completely unimpressed expression on his face, not letting his eyes remain focused on him for long, as if just the sight of him was boring. Instead, he turned his attention back to Blaine, quirking his lip up slightly. 

“Pleasure. Haven’t heard much about you, other than your failed stint as a spy, and your timely departure of Dalton as soon as they weren’t going to get any further than regionals. Interesting” Sebastian drawled, a glint of amusement in his eyes as he knew  _ exactly  _ what he was doing and was doing it pretty successfully judging from Kurt’s sound of discontent. 

“Right, and that’s so much better than joining the Warblers and putting yourself in charge on day one?”

Sebastian graced that comment with a look of devastating contempt, an amused eye roll and slight scoff accompanying it. “I didn’t  _ put _ myself in charge, Betty White, I volunteered, and they chose me. I understand that concept must be slightly difficult for you to comprehend as obviously no one has even chosen you for anything, except your hot boyfriend who clearly just takes pity on you.”

Blaine sucked in a sharp breath, eyes widening at the comment. He kicked his ankle into Sebastian’s shin and gave him a glare, a silent begging behind his eyes to not make anything worse. He felt himself mouth ‘ _ please _ ’ at him, and to his surprise Sebastian gave a small smirk and took a step back, huffing lightly. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow killer, looking forward to it.” And with that he looked Blaine up and down one last time, turned and walked out, back straight and head up. 

“Oh my god he’s insufferable” Kurt exclaimed, still apparently in mild shock at their interaction. A sudden urge to defend Sebastian rose up in him and  _ woah _ where did that come from? The boy had just brazenly flirted with him and insulted his boyfriend in under a minute, there was no need for Blaine to want to defend that? Instead he just sighed and took a long drink from his cup, nursing it between his hands.

“I’m sorry, he shouldn’t have said that stuff. I’ll talk to him tomorrow, I’m sure he’ll apologise or something. I’m sorry Kurt” he found himself saying, reaching out to rub his thumb over his knuckles in a comforting gesture. Kurt gave a small, restrained smile and looked down at the table.

“You didn’t mention he was quite so attractive either. And the fact that he’s obviously into you.” Blaine felt a warmth creep into his cheeks, suddenly uncomfortable. Should he have mentioned that? Surely bringing that up would’ve caused more problems he thought.

“No, he flirts with everyone, it comes to him as easy as breathing, don’t worry about it. Plus, his personality more than ruins anything else he has going on” he replied, casually skirting round the whole ‘attractive’ thing, as that was just a land mine waiting to be stepped on. 

Kurt looked a little better, and nodded his head slightly, seemingly reassured by Blaine’s comment. And honestly, Sebastian was one of the biggest flirts he had ever met in his life, even in the few days they’d known each other he was constantly all over someone, talking or otherwise. The worst part was how everyone was into it, boys practically fighting at the chance to be seduced by the hot new guy with the Disney prince eyes. 

He and Kurt resumed talking, and he let his boyfriend fill him in on all the weird shit happening at McKinley that week, nodding along amicably at the stories. He didn’t bring up any transfer talk again, and they didn’t fight, but there was a noticeable tension in the air that Blaine just couldn’t shake, and he left the Lima Bean feeling somehow worse than when he came in.

~

Wednesday afternoon arrived, and Blaine had successfully avoided Sebastian entirely since their run in at the Lima Bean. He’d gathered together some song ideas and loose vocal arrangements, just bits and pieces he’d been working on over summer, adjusted slightly to fit their new group. Choreography was just going to be left to Sebastian he’d decided, thinking there wasn’t too much point putting together formations when they both knew the other boy would do better, so he resigned himself to second in command on that, although willing to speak up when he had to.

He pushed into the senior commons 5 minutes early and was surprised to see Sebastian already there, standing with his back to the door and loosely moving around the room, familiarising himself with the layout. Blaine just stood and watched, as Sebastian played around with a few light moves, entirely in his own world, blazer stripped off exposing the long lines of his back under the pale shirt, sleeves rolled back baring lean forearms. Realising that he was standing and ogling, Blaine lightly cleared his throat to alert his presence. 

Sebastian turned his head over his shoulder, smiling when he saw Blaine, and relaxing his posture, taking a few steps over. 

“Hey killer, was just getting a bit of a head start, wanted to familiarise myself with the space a little better.” Blaine nodded and gave a tight-lipped smile, not going to say out loud that that was a very good idea, and considerate as well. He took his notes out of his satchel and walked over to one of the sofa’s, sitting down and splaying out the paper in front of him. Sebastian followed suit and sat down next to him, a few inches away so their legs weren’t touching, but their knees would brush if they extended them any further. Blaine swallowed as the smell of expensive, earthy cologne wafted over, along with a soft and clean laundry detergent, a mingling of scents which caused his face to heat up, it was intoxicating. 

Sebastian peered down at the notes in front of him, nodding along as his eyes scanned down them, and placing a few bits of paper of his own on the table, neat lines of handwriting pleasantly filling the pages. They spent a few moments in silence, reading over what each other had prepared, a surprising amount of similarities and complacencies in ideas, as they had somewhat similar ideas of where they wanted the Warblers to go.

After a moment, Blaine leaned back against the leather, slightly shifting his body so that he was angled towards Sebastian. “This is good, we both like the kind of ‘boyband’ look and want to take our dancing to a new level beyond the simpler stuff. I agree we should start on sectionals as soon as possible and focus that performance on 2 numbers and then have 3 for regionals.” He spoke with confidence – he knew they were going to regionals and so did Sebastian from what he’d written, their ambition and drive on the same page. “Uptown Girl sounds interesting actually, that could be really fun for sectionals'' he added, seeing the idea written down on the page. 

Sebastian smiled at that and turned his body as well. “Yeah, maybe we could do another Billy Joel song and have it as a set. I just think his style of harmonies would work really well as an acapella, and allows for fun choreo, maybe a little simple but we’ve got to work up from somewhere.” Blaine nodded, internally fist pumping at the idea, as it was completely cohesive with his own thoughts. This could work.

“Your boyfriend looks like he has a permanent stick up his ass you know”. 

Right, maybe not. 

Blaine huffed and rolled his eyes, moving his body so one leg was tucked under him and his back was against the arm rest, staring Sebastian in the face. “You were pretty rude to him; it was all completely uncalled for.”

Sebastian laughed at that, stretching out an arm to lay against the back of the sofa. “Please, I just said it like it is, and from the moment he saw me he looked like he wanted to shit in my car, so it didn’t really make a difference what I said. What do you even see in him, he looks like he belongs in a home for old gay people.” His nose scrunched as he talked, sounding out the words as if just thinking of Kurt was painful to him. What frustrated Blaine most though, is how his wish to defend Kurt was overshadowed by the seeds of doubt that had just been planted by Sebastian. 

“He’s kind, and sweet, and caring ok? Not to mention insanely talented” Blaine replied, eyes narrow, and ignoring the hammering of his heart.

Sebastian didn’t look too impressed, just raising his eyebrows. “And what about the fact that he’s obviously jealous of you and wouldn’t be able to celebrate a single good thing coming your way as it would just manage to home in on his own insecurities, and you deserve better than that.” Blaine blinked heavily, not understanding where this was coming from, and why Sebastian would say something like that when he’d only ever met Kurt once? 

Sure, Kurt struggled a little when Blaine had solos, or was in the foreground, but it didn’t mean he was jealous or anything? But Sebastian’s words cut deeper than they were intended to, suddenly his mind fighting him to remember all the times things like that had happened. His face must’ve fallen slightly, as Sebastian put a hand on his knee and leaned forwards a little. 

“Sorry, Blaine,” the use of his first name brought him out of his funk a little. “Didn’t mean to upset you killer, that’s just what I see as the truth. I just think you could do better – don’t think we all haven’t seen how tense you’ve been lately; Jeff says he never wants to bring up Kurt cos your reaction always stresses him out.”

Blaine stood up, pushing his leg away from where Sebastian’s hand had been, walking to the middle of the room. He felt a wave of frustration, alongside a deep pool of fear, trying to push it away, those fearful thoughts that he was right. “You’ve only known me a week, don’t try and analyse my life! I love my boyfriend, and that’s that, ok?” His voice rose with every word, the irritation and anger creeping in as he spoke. He ran a hand through his hair, which dislodged some of his gel, letting a few curls run free, and deeply breathed out. He needed to calm down, couldn’t let Sebastian get to him. “Please, just drop it ok? I want to focus on the Warblers right now.”

He heard the light squeak of the sofa, and his co-captain got up and walked over, stopping in front of him with his arms crossed, the pushed up sleeves highlighting his muscled forearms and their spattering of freckles. Blaine dragged his eyes up to meet those piercing green ones, slightly taken aback by the sincerity in them. They were standing closely, Sebastian positioning his body so that it was overpowering his, crowding him with his height.

“I’ll drop it, just please, don’t let yourself burn out. You’re a star, Anderson, don’t let anyone treat you like you’re anything less.” His voice was soft in a way that he’d never heard before, and just found himself giving a slight nod, warmth flooding his body at the compliment which was so much more than a flirty innuendo or cheeky leer. Sebastian just gave him another stare, before heading over to the coffee table with the discarded papers and picked up a few.

“Let’s run through some ideas about Uptown Girl then, get something prepared for when the rest join us.” Blaine smiled lightly in agreement, and followed him over to help, ignoring the fluttering of his stomach and warmth in his heart.

~

The rest of their time alone had gone well, Sebastian avoiding bringing up Kurt, only giving a few suggestive comments about certain parts of his anatomy when Blaine had done the choreography, but his tone was light. Before the rest of the Warblers had arrived they’d manage to sort out a skeletal frame of the song, along with ideas on how to distribute solos and some moves for them all to try.

When the entire group was there, they’d given a short speech, welcoming everyone properly and running the outline of their plan of the year, several larger ideas and frameworks for the months ahead, which had been met with success. They had then started rehearsals on Uptown Girl, going through segments of possible choreography and making sure everyone was sorted into their vocal groups. Those who wanted to go for a solo had run through the song right there and then, both Sebastian and Blaine wanting to move things on as smoothly as possible. By the end of the rehearsal, there’d been no fights, arguments, or show choir related smack talk to speak of, and Blaine was left with a resounding feeling of success. 

After finishing up, Sebastian had given Blaine a warm smile and touch of the arm, congratulating him on the rehearsal, and said he wished he could stay and chat but had lacrosse practice to get to before their first game later on. Blaine hated the way he wanted him to stay, and the way he could feel where his fingers had lingered on his arm. He’d shaken it off, and headed back to his room with Nick, determined to just get on with work and try to shut out his personal life as much as he could.

He and Nick got into their dorm together, chatting amicably about the rehearsal and upcoming competitions.

“Seriously I think you’re gonna end up with the Uptown Girl solo man, both me and Sebastian thought your voice sounded so good with it, and it is our decision after all” Blaine said as he opened their door, moving through the room over to his bed where he threw his bag down. “We obviously need to have a proper confirming chat but in my opinion you were by far the best.”

Nick grinned as he closed the door behind him, practically bounding over to his bed before collapsing on it. “My first ever competition solo, can’t say I’m too displeased with the two of you as captains if you’re making decisions like this.” Blaine chuckled and loosened his tie, discarding it on the back of his chair along with his blazer. Having the ability to give his friends – people who deserved it – solo’s really was rewarding. Both he and Sebastian thought that someone other than them should take one of the songs, to show their ability to share and showcase talent, and then would perform their second song together. The compromise had been surprisingly easy to come to, as they found they agreed with each other on most accounts, seemingly only their personal lives which caused problems.

“You deserve it dude, it would’ve happened with or without us.”

Nick sighed and rolled over, propping himself up on an elbow. “I know I have already apologised, but just want to make sure we’re all good. You know, after me suggesting the whole co-captains thing. It kinda just came out of nowhere but you get what I’m like, I have an idea and just want to say it.” His voice was so sincere, and he’d already apologised twice now, including immediately after the first time he’d brought it up. Blaine was never really mad at him for it – Nick loved the Warblers as much as he did and would only ever say anything which he thought would help, even if it was mildly annoying.

“Stop apologising Duval, you know I’m not mad. Plus, Sebastian wasn’t awful today, we managed to collaborate fairly well.”

“Yeah, you didn’t even throw anything at him, which honestly I was kind of expecting,” Nick scoffed, lying back down on the bed, and Blaine tossed a pillow over at his head which made him squawk with laughter. Honestly, he was as surprised as Nick was that the rehearsal had gone as smoothly as it did, with no violence or even threats of violence. 

“Fuck off, we’re fine. He did bring up the whole Kurt thing I mentioned to you though, said that he has a stick up his ass and is jealous of me, whatever that even means” Blaine muttered, leaning against the wall behind his bed, letting his head fall against it. Their conversation from earlier still confused him, Sebastian saying all that stuff about his boyfriend so matter of fact as if he didn’t even need to consider he was wrong. Across from him, Nick hummed and turned away, remaining uncharacteristically silent.

“What?” Blaine asked, peering over to look at him. Nick let out a huge sigh and dramatically rolled back over onto his back, tearing a hand over his face.

“Look, you know we don’t  _ hate _ Kurt or anything, I mean yeah, it was a dick move to come here, take a regionals solo and then dip when we lost so he could go to nationals, but we don’t like,  _ hate  _ him. It’s just, he always seemed pretty pissed off when you got any attention at all, kinda like he was jealous. I mean one time he said you were the ‘alpha gay’ whatever the fuck that means.” Nick spoke quietly but passionately, as if he really believed what he was saying but didn’t want Blaine to hear him say it. 

The words were shocking, Blaine had never thought of any of the Warblers not sharing his feelings about Kurt. Yes, he went back to McKinley, but just like Dalton was Blaine’s home, McKinley was his. This whole idea of the jealousy just confused him – he’d never considered that to be any part of their relationship, but now apparently all of his friends could see it. 

“Blaine, buddy, don’t freak out ok. I just want to be honest with you, you haven’t seemed very happy the last few weeks, and haven’t seemed too happy with Kurt. I trust you know what you’re doing, and you know your feelings, but maybe just think about it all. Don’t end up hurting yourself to make someone else happy.” Blaine sat in silence, trying to organise his thoughts. He hadn’t even wanted to text Kurt after their rehearsal today, didn’t want to tell him about how well it went as he was worried about the dismissive and passive aggressive reply he might’ve received.

It just seemed all so different from last year, when they were so happy and  _ right _ together. Was it salvageable or was he just embarrassing himself? He moved on over to his desk determined to get something productive done at least, Dalton didn’t make excuses for relationship troubles after all.

An hour or so later, a balled up t-shirt hit him on the side of the head, knocking him out of the depressive spiral he was sinking into about algebra as well as his love life. 

“Dude are you gonna come to the game?” Nick asked, midway through stripping off and putting on regular clothes. Blaine’s brain froze, game? What game?

The memory of Sebastian telling him he had a match later on came running back, at the time Blaine had been momentarily distracted by his face to completely take in what he was saying.

“Uh yeah. Also we’ve been back one week why is there a game already that seems ridiculous?” Nick laughed at him, yanking on a jumper causing his hair to poof out all over the place.

“Do you pay no attention to Dalton culture? It’s the first thing they do after try-outs, only with Dalton members, to see what position they’re each going to play and who makes what team, first or second. No other schools or anything so it’s chill, and we don’t have to wear our uniform to watch, so bonus.” Now that he mentioned it, that did sound familiar, he must’ve missed out on it last year as a new student, but he did think he heard Jeff talking about it the other day with someone. 

Well, if Jeff was playing, that explained the frantic rush Nick was in to get down to the pitch, subtle as ever. Deciding that fuck it, watching athletic boys run around with sticks was significantly better than lying around moping about his boyfriend, he got up and headed to pick something to change into, returning Nick’s gleeful fist bump.

~

The lacrosse field was fucking freezing. Blaine was now seriously regretting just wearing a light jumper along with his chinos and bowtie, as he wrapped his arms tightly around himself ignoring the teasing of his friends alongside him. The Warblers had managed to bag the front row of the bleachers, all there to cheer on the three of them who were on the teams, currently preparing for the match to start. He didn’t understand how it was so fucking  _ cold _ , it was mild earlier, and his clothing choice would’ve been fine, before somehow it had dropped to being the arctic. Blaine loved big, cosy, sweaters as well, so he was missing out on that. Bad shit all around. 

It was around 5 minutes or so before the match was due to start, the two teams made up of solely Dalton boys, placed randomly on different sides so the coach could assess who he wanted where, and who would make first line. Blaine didn’t pretend to understand much about the game – he enjoyed sports, played a few himself and was a keen boxer, but never really latched onto lacrosse. Cooper said it was because his legs were too short which was frankly offensive, but also probably true.

A blond head of hair was approaching them flanked by two taller brunettes, and Blaine realised that Jeff, Sebastian, and Meatbox were jogging over to where they were all sat, wanting to say hi before they had to play. Blaine tried so hard not to notice how good Sebastian looked in the lacrosse kit, he really did. But fuck, it was impossible not to. It suited his tall, lean frame so well, exuding his athleticism and figure, hair slightly sticking to his forehead as it was damp from their warmup. The three boys came over and said their hello’s, Blaine raising his eyes to say a quick hi before looking back down at the ground again, in a mix of determination to not stare at Sebastian but also to wrap himself up because it was fucking  _ cold _ . 

As Jeff ruffled Nick’s hair next to him and Meatbox engaged in a friendly conversation with Thad, Blaine sat trying his best to hide his shivering to avoid even further teasing about how he apparently didn’t know how to dress.

“Uh, Anderson, are you cold by any chance?” Sebastian’s voice above him made him jump, jerking his head up to see him staring down with an amused but also slightly concerned expression, eyebrow quirked, and head tilted to the side. 

“It’s not as warm as I expected, I guess” he muttered, looking off to the side, determined not to give him the satisfaction of being right.

Sebastian just chuckled in front of him, before lifting up a finger in the universal signal for ‘wait’ and jogged off a few metres to where a lot of their stuff they didn’t need in the locker room was piled up, waiting to be collected later on. He picked up a bundle of fabric and returned, dumping it on Blaine’s lap. Lightly, he fingered the material in front of him before realising it was a hoodie – Sebastian’s hoodie. He looked up, questioning expression on his face, holding the soft fabric in his hands. It was so tempting, so obviously warm and cosy, and he knew it would smell that same intoxicating way, that mix of earthy, rich cologne and that freshness which was only describable as  _ his _ .

“Don’t think too hard killer, you’re one shiver away from straight up dying of hypothermia, and there’s no way I’m gonna be in charge of the idiots we call our show choir without you. Plus, your ass is too nice to let go to waste.” His tone was teasing, a smirk on his face, but Blaine knew he was being told to put it on. Fuck, he didn’t even need the jumper after that, with the warmth that flooded through his body and lit up his face, ducking his head down to hide the blush and the smile. 

“Thanks, Sebastian”, he muttered, before tugging it over his head, the hoodie too long on his arms and torso – he was broader and had bigger arms and chest than the lean boy, but was still disastrously short, so he swam in it a little bit. A whistle sounded, and the three boys all nodded goodbye and jogged over to the field, ready for the game to begin. Nick nudged his shoulder, waggling his eyebrows suggestively, which earned him a swift kick in the shin. It didn’t mean anything – if anyone else had a spare jumper they would’ve given it to him, and if anyone else was cold, Sebastian would’ve given it to them. He couldn’t think too hard about such a small gesture, even if it was the biggest one he’d received in a while.

~

The game was thoroughly entertaining, Blaine didn’t necessarily have a clue what was going on a lot of the time, but he knew when someone scored and some fouled, and really what else was there to know? He also noticed that Sebastian was distractingly good. As in, the best damn player on the field good. Older players were clearly both annoyed and impressed by him, and Blaine knew that feeling well. The dance background which he was so proud of definitely came in more than handy, as he ducked, weaved, and jumped, spinning around and twisting across the field, so aware of his body and how it moved, unbelievably graceful as well as effectively aggressive. 

Blaine knew he was cheering loudly, jumping out of his seat to clap, yelling Sebastian’s name a little more than anyone else’s, but he was just having so much fun, and his friends must’ve noticed a change in his attitude too, as they were all as animated and exuberant as he was. 

The game ended, Blaine knowing that the side Sebastian was on won, and felt a surge of pride as the coach pulled him aside as soon as the whistle blew, the man enthusiastically patting him on the back and grinning. He couldn’t help himself from running over when they’d all finished, finding Sebastian’s tall form and pulling him down into a quick hug.

“That was amazing! Jesus Sebastian I think that’s the first time I’ve ever found lacrosse interesting!” That earned him a hearty laugh from Sebastian and a few side eyes from his teammates, but he didn’t care. The boy in front of him grinned down, face flushed and sweaty, eyes gleaming with adrenaline and chest panting.

“Thanks killer, glad I could entertain,” he replied, reaching out to tuck a loose curl behind Blaine’s ear. The motion made him suck in a breath, aware of his eyes widening comically, and his knees felt weak beneath him. A single touch like that, shouldn’t make him feel that way, not as if every nerve in his body was lit on fire. Not when he had a boyfriend. “I’m glad you came, I loved hearing you cheer me on.” Sebastian said that he was a little quieter, letting his hand linger on his jaw for just a second before dropping it, and blinking a few times, straightening out his back. Despite being in a crowded field, hundreds of people crowded around them, in that moment Blaine had felt like it was just the two of them, rooted down to the field as if the earth itself wanted them to stay there.

He was jerked away from the moment by a clasp on the shoulder, the rest of the Warblers arriving behind him, Jeff and Meatbox in tow, taking over the conversation with their loud antics and headlocks, filling the air with laughter and fist bumps. Blaine felt his eyes torn away from Sebastian, forcing his attention to his other friends and their celebrations, ignoring that empty feeling growing inside of him without those green eyes on his.

~

Since their first rehearsal, the Warblers had been working harder than ever, committing to learning new and more challenging choreography, coming up with complex vocal arrangements, and spending more time together as a collective to be more cohesive as a team. 

Well that meant they just hung out a lot but occasionally harmonised when they did.

Blaine couldn’t believe how good they had gotten, the past few weeks had completely flown by, and he knew that this was the best they’d ever sounded. Working with Sebastian was…exhilarating. He had not been kidding at all when he had said he was hardworking and driven; he pushed them more than Blaine ever could, a ferocity in him that could only be admired. Thankfully, they had similar ideas about the direction of the Warblers, their creative control seamlessly accompanying each other. The only clashes they had were a little more personal.

He and Kurt still weren’t amazing – nothing awful, but not a lot right at the moment. They called, and texted, and saw each other on the weekends or occasionally after school during the week, but that original spark they had was just, gone. Blaine felt himself trying harder and harder to clutch on to the relationship they used to have, knowing in his heart that it just wasn’t like that anymore. And when every day Sebastian would talk about his ass, or compliment his biceps, the attention would both piss him off as well as make him upset that the person to compliment him wasn’t his boyfriend.

Things had gotten even harder when McKinley decided to do West Side Story and Kurt had tried to audition for Tony. Blaine was confident he would get it, but then Sam, the blond boy he remembered from last year had reappeared in Lima and had gotten the role. It had broken Kurt, especially as the director told him that they just couldn’t envisage him as a male lead. Since then everything had been more strenuous, Kurt’s anxieties and frustrations about the show amplified onto Blaine, who often was slightly passive aggressively insulted, Kurt deciding that if Blaine were there he would’ve landed Tony, as he was ‘leading man material’. 

Honestly, he didn’t know what that meant, or what that had to do with him now – he wasn’t there, and he wasn’t Tony, so who cared? Kurt, apparently, in some fantasy he’d made up in his head. Every day they just seemed to drift further apart, and it got harder to try and cement them back together, the cracks seemingly impossible to fix.

Sebastian always seemed to notice when those cracks were most open, and never failed to ask Blaine about it, offering his opinions and ‘advice’, which was usually along the same note. If it was anyone else, maybe it wouldn’t rub Blaine the way it did, make him so frustrated. But his co-captain just always knew how to get under his skin and coming from him the words just seemed rawer, and they cut deeper. He spoke as if he knew what was in Blaine’s mind, and wanted to expose the truth, alongside a stream of compliments which varied from jokey innuendoes to sincere flattery. Blaine hated how much he didn’t hate it.

More than several times he’d spotted the taller boy in the courtyard or around the school with someone else - various someone else’s - either not so innocently looking or touching. Blaine recognised the captain of the swim team, a guy from his math class, even one of the Warblers once. They’d be making out, or arms slung around each other, whispering in ears, Sebastian flaunting himself so publicly it was almost admirable, even if frustrating. Blaine hated the way his stomach would curl when he saw his co-captain with someone else, lazily kissing them up against a tree and then not speaking to them again, moving onto the next. His flirting made Blaine feel special, wanted, but he couldn’t help but think that he meant nothing more to Sebastian than anyone else.

~

Sectionals were officially one day away, and every nerve in Blaine’s body felt electrified. Not to be cocky, but he wasn’t too nervous; they were up against two no name choirs with zero track record and from what he’d seen, they were there to have fun and not take home any trophies. They’d all been working their asses off, and he and Sebastian had formed a completely unified team in the Warblers, and it gave him a euphoria which he had never felt. 

Unlike now, where he was sat in Kurt’s bedroom, a slight cloud hanging over his head at the strained nature of conversation, the lack of flow and humour which they used to have, Kurt talking on and on about his life and his frustrations and the New Directions which were clearly a big a mess as ever, Blaine just sat feeling like a third wheel to Kurt and his voice.

“I just can’t believe Santana, Brittney, and Mercedes would do this, it’s completely ridiculous!”

Blaine was definitely not about to say that the Trouble Tones sounded fucking awesome, and their voices together would be more than a threat. “I guess they just did what they felt was right, you never know, they could come around! Your sectionals aren't until next week, and you guys always work so well at the last minute.”

Kurt exhaled deeply and turned to look at Blaine, irritation clear in his voice. “You don’t think I want solo’s too? I didn’t give up and leave just because I didn’t get enough attention, it’s just not acceptable!” Blaine felt himself nodding, not wanting to hurt his boyfriends feelings anymore, he could understand the frustration; if mutiny happened in the Warblers it would break his heart. Like if he and Sebastian had some falling out and took half each, like parents in a divorce. He bet he’d get stuck with Nick.

“I know, it must suck, a lot. You know Sebastian said that- “

“Oh my god Blaine I do not want to hear about that meerkat looking asshole! That’s the third time you’ve brought him up today, it’s like I’m not even here!” Blaine gaped at him; jaw dropped open at his exclamation. He’d only been able to speak about 5 times since he arrived, if anything he was the one that was completely invisible, almost absorbed into the decorative pillows of Kurt’s bed.

“That’s not fair Kurt, I was just trying to help? Sebastian is my friend, you’ve mentioned Rachel and Mercedes a lot more, in fact you’ve mentioned everyone a lot more – I’ve barely been able to talk!”

“Oh it’s so different and you know it! That boy is so into you it’s ridiculous, he looks at you like a piece of meat Blaine! And I’m sorry school isn’t easy at the minute, not everything can be as perfect as Dalton, or the Warblers, or Sebastian!”

Blaine felt a deep anger rise up, Kurt’s comments hurtful and upsetting. Was he not allowed to have problems, or express any thought of his own? And why did Kurt keep insulting the Warblers, after they’d taken him in, treated him like one of their own, he even got a regionals solo when so many of his friends had been there longer and wanted it more. Every conversation just felt like going in a roundabout, the same frustrations and insecurities coming up and never getting resolved. 

“I never said any of it was perfect, and I’m just trying to help Kurt – I feel like nothing I can do or say will satisfy your need to self-destruct and victimize yourself, you put me as the face of your problems and then take it all out on me when I’m just trying to make things better” He knew he was shouting now, voice trembling with bottled up anger and anxieties of his own that was spilling out. Standing up from the bed, he walked over to the door, running a hand through his hair and sighing deeply. 

“Blaine you’re being selfish, I’m not asking for much and I feel like you’re not listening to me” Kurt replied, voice harsh and cold, more of a restrained anger than Blaine was showing, but he was always better at keeping a lid on his rage. 

“No, Kurt, I just…” Blaine breathed out, putting his hand on the door handle. He had a competition to get ready for - a competition to  _ win _ , and he couldn’t deal with this right now. “I have to go. I have sectionals tomorrow, and I can’t do this right now. Please try and understand what I’ve said, because I can’t go round like this anymore.” Unable to look him in the eye, Blaine turned and walked out the door. 

~

“Dude stop vibrating we’re going to be  _ fine _ , I’m not sure what that group just did could be classified as singing, my ears might legit be bleeding.”

Nick was trying his best to calm Blaine down, giving a gentle rub up and down his arm as they waited backstage, next in line to perform. And honestly, Blaine wasn’t nervous about their performance at all – he knew they had this, their vocals and choreography were perfect, and they had this unmistakable energy to them which was infectious. It was just that he knew Kurt was out there, sitting in the audience, waiting to watch him sing. And they hadn’t so much as texted since their argument yesterday, and all that unresolved tension was driving him wild, practically trembling in the wings. He was getting some odd looks from his fellow Warblers who had never really seen him with nerves before, all a little unsure about what to do when their leader was a wreck.

Suddenly, a large hand was on his sleeve and it tugged him slightly out the way, dragging him over to behind a curtain separate from the rest of the boys. Sebastian looked down at him, those damn green eyes piercing him, and both his hands were pressed on his shoulders, holding him still and rooting him down.

“What’s going on killer, you’re gonna give some of these kids a heart attack.” Blaine nibbled his lip and looked down, feeling guilty for shoving his relationship problems so blatantly in everyone’s faces, causing a ripple effect of nerves. This was his mess, and no one else’s.

“I’m sorry, I’m not worried about the performance, I know we’re going to smash it… it’s just I had a huge argument with Kurt yesterday, and now he’s here, in the audience, and I guess it’s just throwing me off a little.” He hated how weak and pathetic his voice sounded, but Sebastian above him just sighed and let his hands gently trail down Blaine’s arms, calmly stroking him.

“I get that, I may never have been in a relationship, but unlike what some people say I do possess empathy, and I can tell how much that must suck. But no matter your headspace, you cannot let him throw you off. If for some reason you want his forgiveness, or to make up or whatever – you get out there and you show him how fucking amazing his boyfriend is and how lucky he is. And if you’re pissed off at him, and not in the mood for his shit right now, you go out there and show him what he’s missing, and how unbelievably talented you are.” 

His voice grounded Blaine, and he allowed himself to look up, connecting their eyes, Sebastian’s face warm and controlled, an intimacy there which he felt privileged to be able to see. “You’re my co-captain, and you’re their leader, and we all need you out there as your best. Once a Warbler, always a Warbler.” With that, Sebastian lightly squeezed Blaine’s wrists where his hands were settled, and then pulled back, allowing Blaine to step forwards and move amongst his peers again. A student holding a clipboard gave them a thumbs up, signalling they were set to go, and Blaine felt a surge of energy and confidence rush through him, Sebastian’s words infused in his veins.

“Ok Warblers, we all know we’ve got this, so let’s go and show them all a good time, and make ourselves proud!” he called out, met with a loud cheer and applause, his shift in mood clearly rubbing off on his friends who took his newfound energy in their strides. And with that, they moved to the stage, took to their positions, and let Billy Joel take over.

~

Sectionals was probably the best Warbler performance that Blaine had ever been a part of, their Billy Joel set completely electrifying the audience, the energy they all produced was infectious and Blaine had never felt more alive. Up on that stage, singing with Sebastian and all his friends, he forgot all about his issues with Kurt, the tension dissolving as soon as their harmonies kicked in and the lights went up. As soon as they stepped off the stage they all knew they’d won, not a seed of doubt in any of their minds. And when they went back on for the results, and were handed their first place trophy, Blaine felt a euphoria he couldn’t even put into words, he just knew that being on that stage with those boys was just right where he wanted to be, his co-captain leading them by his side.

After a quick backstage celebration, they all streamed out to the reception, to see various parents and friends before heading back to campus. Blaine knew his parents couldn’t make it, work commitments or something, so only Kurt was there to see him. He was so high on adrenaline after performing and winning that all thoughts of their previous argument were gone, excited to just give him a hug and share all his energy, confident his boyfriend would be proud of him. Sebastian gave him a pat on the shoulder and went off to find some of the boys, leaving Blaine alone, scanning the hallway for Kurt, craning his neck. He spotted that familiar head of hair down the corridor, and broke out smiling, heading over to see him. That buzz of energy was still in his system, lightly jogging to his boyfriend, unable to restrain himself to just walking. 

“Hey! I’m so glad you’re here” he said, squeezing Kurt into a tight hug when he reached him, letting himself dissolve into his touch. “Did you like our set? Honestly I’m pretty proud of us, it went just like we rehearsed”

Kurt smiled back at him, letting his hands rest against his Dalton blazer. “It was incredible, Blaine, you sounded amazing. And so did Nick in his solo, good for him.” Blaine grinned at that, he was beyond happy for his friend, who had finally got the spotlight he deserved, and ecstatic that Kurt had noticed their deviation in the choice of lead. The slight bitterness his boyfriend had over Blaine being the dominant soloist had never gone undetected, and a part of yearned for him to see that wasn’t the case – that now he was in charge he would delegate and not take it all.

“Wasn’t he amazing? I’m sure you guys will smash your sectionals next week too, I can’t wait to come and see it.” He felt amazing that Kurt was smiling and actually touching him, the elation of winning the competition combined with his boyfriend in front of him causing him to be the happiest he’d felt in a while, all their relationship problems forgotten in that one moment. Kurt’s face suddenly shifted, and a cold expression set in, his eyes narrowing, and lips pursed. From experience, Blaine knew that look only meant one thing.

“Hey killer, just letting you know that our bus is gonna get ready to head off in 10, I’ll meet you outside?” Sebastian said, walking up next to him completely ignoring Kurt. Well, at least he wasn’t insulting him. 

“Uh yeah, I’ll be out in a bit, just talking to Kurt here” he replied, reaching out to grab his boyfriends hand in a move he hoped was reassuring, and didn’t look as panicked as he felt. Kurt let his hand touch his, but didn’t return the touch, instead his palm and fingers remained rigid. Sebastian looked down on them with an eyebrow raised, eyes flickering back and forth between their faces before humming slightly.

“Alright, don’t be late, leaving our star performer behind won’t go down well on those show choir blogs” Sebastian remarked, looking mildly pained at holding his tongue, instead just dragging his eyes up and down Blaine one last time then turning to walk away, strolling down the corridor with his hands in his pockets. He hated the way his heart raced at the interaction, how painstakingly uncomfortable it was whenever the three of them were near each other, feeling the waves of anger pulsing off his boyfriend.

“I can’t believe you put up with that guy, I don’t trust him” Kurt spat out, shoulders taut and face set.

“He honestly isn’t that bad, he’s done a lot of good for us this year” Blaine offered, not wanting to fight but also not wanting to let his co-captain be religiously badmouthed when he wasn’t completely awful. “But hey, who cares about Sebastian, we don’t need to think about him right now.”

Kurt just scoffed and fixed Blaine with a look that he knew meant this was not going to be dropped. His heart sunk as the moment of euphoria he had been experiencing started to shatter in front of him. “I care about Sebastian, as he is set out to ruin this relationship. He’s toxic for us Blaine!”

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing – after so long of being made to feel guilty over his choice to stay at Dalton, to being ignored and talked over, and feel ashamed of any success that came his way, it was Sebastian who was toxic for them? Blaine told Kurt exactly that, which wasn’t exactly received well.

“You’re just deflecting, I’m sorry if I wanted to be with my boyfriend more, and want to be able to talk about my day with him, this year has been hard so far and you know that!”

“I know Kurt! I just can’t feel like I'm suffocating anymore, like I’m barely even present in this relationship when you take out all your frustrations out on me even if I’m not even slightly involved in it.” Blaine ran a hand through his hair, feeling the desperation spill into his voice, his uniform suddenly too tight, too hot, suffocating him. 

“You’re being selfish Blaine. You’re deluded, I-I can’t take this!” Kurt yelled, shouting in a way which the older boy never really did, usually more reserved than Blaine was in his anger. They stood there, staring at each other, both panting slightly, faces flushed and too far apart, both having involuntarily stepped back during their shouting.

“I have to go Kurt; my bus is going to leave.” His voice was weak and defeated, just as pathetic as he felt.

“So you’re just going to walk away, give up.”

“No! I have to go, this conversation is going nowhere.”

Kurt stared at him, eyes wet and lips in a thin line. “No, it’s not going anywhere. And neither are we.” Blaine felt his stomach flip, fear coursing through his veins, clouding his face and flooding his brain.

“What… what are you saying?”

“This is over Blaine, we’re done.”

Deafening silence broke upon them, white noise in Blaine’s ears crowding him, his vision blurry with tears. A large part of him knew this was inevitable, that they weren’t the way they used to be, and it was causing pain for them both to keep going. But facing the reality of actually separating, officially ending the time they’d had together, it didn’t stop the immense grief washing over him, shame, guilt, heartache all crushing him down. 

Kurt looked down, took a breath and walked down the hallway, leaving Blaine standing there, body numb and face wet, unable to control his breathing, or stop his heart from breaking.

~

The bus ride back to Dalton was excruciating. Everyone was on such a high, singing and jumping off their seats, whispering a little too loudly about their plans for the celebratory party that night. Everyone was ecstatic and vibrant, and Blaine felt numb and empty, completely drained. He’d gotten on the bus last, everyone else already in their seats when he arrived. The walk down to the back row he felt like an animal in a cage, conscious of his tear stained cheeks and puffy eyes, hands gripping the ends of his sleeves fiercely, avoiding everyone’s eyes. One of the worst parts was the fact he didn’t have to tell anyone why he was upset, everyone just seemed to know. Guess his relationship problems weren’t exactly a secret. Well, ex-relationship problems now. 

Anyone who tried to speak to him, give consolation or just approach him in general he fixed with a glare, which very clearly signalled ‘fuck off’, as he slid into the back row of seats on the far left, determined to just get back so he could cry alone in his dorm like a regular person. The only breach of this was Sebastian, who had remained fully silent, but sat down next to him anyway, returning his stare with one of his own, daring him to make him leave, eyebrow raised. Blaine had just huffed and let him, turning to stare out the window, ignoring how just the presence of his co-captain next to him made a part of him calm down, releasing some of the built up pressure inside of him.

Since they’d arrived back at Dalton, Blaine had gone straight to his dorm and holed himself up, Nick taking the hint that he wanted to be left alone and slouching off to someone else’s room instead. Blaine had collapsed on his bed, stripping out of his uniform and into some comfy clothes, letting himself cry into his pillow for a very justifiable amount of time. He knew this was for the best, that they’d just gotten so toxic recently that there was no salvaging it – but it still hurt so fucking much, that was just human nature. And he was very human.

A few hours after his self-pity party had begun, his door slowly opened to reveal Nick, semi-hiding behind the wood and looking guilty, fixing Blaine with a look that he knew meant he currently looked pathetic.

“Hey buddy, I ordered an uber to get here in half an hour to head to Thad’s post sectionals party, I’m just here to get changed, and also to force you to get up and come with me cos no one wants to celebrate without you there.”

Blaine firmly planted his face into the mattress, just waving his hand slightly to give his permission for Nick to enter the room. Part of him wanted to just stay in bed until he died, another part thought that drinking sounded like a really good fucking idea. 

“Come on, I will drag you off that bed if you don’t get up soon, and you’re tiny so like it won’t be that hard dude.” That was offensive.

“I’m not  _ tiny _ , fuck off” he muttered, lifting his head from being smushed into the furniture slightly, giving Nick a frown, but sighing dejectedly when he saw the determination set on his roommate’s face. “Fine, I’ll go, but I think everyone would manage to have a good time without me there you know.”

Nick hummed as he flicked through his clothes, pulling out different items. “They’d manage it, but not enjoy themselves as much – we all want you there man. I get you’re feeling super shitty, but forget about that, just for one night at least. You deserve to have a good time with all of us, have some drinks and celebrate! We smashed it bro.” Blaine knew he was right, knew that he’d regret it if he didn’t let himself live a little, and anyway, he’d just been dumped – it was basically break up law he needed to drink something. Nodding, he pulled himself up off the bed, and went to find something more appropriate to wear.

~

Thad usually hosted their parties as his parents lived fairly close to Dalton, and were never home, creating the perfect place for them all to let off some steam – also he was rich as fuck, so it was practically a mansion. Blaine had pulled on a tight polo and some chinos, not bothering to regel his hair so it was a little looser than usual, but he found himself not caring. 

Kurt had never directly insulted his curls, but it was clear he wasn’t a big fan, and now he didn’t have that to worry about, so fuck it. He’d gotten in the uber with Nick, Jeff and David, apparently some of the last of the Warblers to head over, as the party was fairly underway when they all arrived. Loud music was pumping through speakers all over the house, and the majority of surfaces already looked like mini bars. The thing with Dalton boys, is that whilst to their competitors they looked like the face of sophistication, behind closed doors they really let their hair down. And made a huge mess, judging from the state of the house they were currently in.

He followed Nick in, his friend giving a shout in greeting and pumping his hands in the air as they made their way through the front door, Blaine chuckling at his ridiculous frat boy behaviour. As soon as they were inside he felt glad he came, being surrounded by all his friends after their victory, something which helped relieve some of the grief from his shoulders, the sounds of them singing and chanting, and the smell of alcohol way too expensive for teenagers almost like a comfort blanket. 

Jeff dragged him by the arm over to the kitchen, where he was greeted with Meatbox shoving a drink into his hand and demanding that he get it down him, which he gracefully complied with. The main hub of noise stemmed from the living room, so he and his friends made their way in, where most the Warblers were all dancing on the furniture or involved in various teenage drinking games which made him chuckle. He always put so much on his shoulders and took himself so emotionally seriously that he often forgot he was just a junior in high school.

Standing over to the side of the room, he grabbed another drink from the cabinet, his first one having gotten drunk a little fast, oops. A warm body pressed into his side, and he craned his neck to see Sebastian standing next to him, leaning against the wall and looking out over the room. Blaine couldn’t help but notice how good he looked, even in just jeans and a t-shirt that shouldn’t have looked as attractive on him as they did, bringing out the gold in his eyes and freckles on his cheeks. Maybe that first drink had hit him more than he thought, as he found it almost physically impossible to tear his eyes away. Sebastian slightly nudged him with his shoulder, arms close together, and looked down at Blaine. 

“I’m glad Duval managed to drag you out of bed, you deserve to be here.”

Blaine huffed and looked down at the ground, finding his feet very interesting. “Who says I was in bed?” It was probably the least convincing thing he’d ever said, his voice sounding fragile and defensive, and definitely did not convince Sebastian. 

“Well, your piece of shit ex-boyfriend just got rid of the best thing that would ever happen to him, and you tend to wear your heart on your sleeve killer, wouldn’t take a genius to assume that you’d be enacting a scene from a rom-com on your own.” His voice was light, a teasing tone to it that for some reason put Blaine at ease, as he wasn’t being treated like a breakable object. 

“Whatever, I don’t want to think about  _ him _ tonight, we just smashed our performance and are heading to regionals, we deserve to celebrate” Blaine replied, although he knew the defiance in his voice sounded like he was convincing himself, but he needed to manifest it, and needed to stop fucking  _ moping _ . Sebastian smiled lightly at that, seemingly pleased with Blaine’s efforts to pull himself together, holding out his drink for Blaine to clink against his, which he did a little too vigorously. 

Suddenly, David and Nick’s hands were on them both, pulling the two of them into the middle of the room, before David climbed onto the coffee table and loudly cleared his throat.

“Let’s give it up for our co-captains, who just made us give one of our best performances in Warbler history” he shouted, pausing to allow the room to burst into cheers and applause, various hands patting both himself and Sebastian on the back, and an assortment of light things chucked at them with affection. “Although they may have started with a little resistance, I think we can all agree that our success is down to them, and may they lead us to further victory at regionals! This night is for you guys!” David finished with a cheer, and Blaine felt a huge well of pride, happy that his hard work had paid off, and was being admired.

No longer did he have to numb down his achievements or not be able to properly celebrate what he was proud of out of fear of criticism, instead he let the compliments of his peers wash over him, grinning widely. Looking up next to him, he saw Sebastian with a similar expression of gratitude and confidence on his face, the taller boy clearly much more willing to acknowledge his own success. Their eyes met, and Blaine knew it wasn’t just the alcohol warming up his face.

The night continued with success, the Warblers getting progressively drunker and louder, the inevitable karaoke started at around midnight, which was fairly painful yet still entertaining. Blaine allowed himself to relax, have fun, and just take the time to enjoy himself, knocking back several drinks and performing a few Katy Perry songs on the microphone with varying degrees of success. For the first 2 hours, he maintained his distance from Sebastian, not trusting himself to get any closer; everyone knew he was a pretty affectionate drunk, and his co-captain just had this effect on him which he couldn’t even explain, just the scent of his cologne making his knees weak. It wasn’t a crush or anything, it couldn’t be. He was just attractive, that was it. And tall. And made him feel good. Whatever, Blaine’s drunk mind just couldn’t be trusted.

That separation was broken at around 1 in the morning, when a pretty tipsy Sebastian collapsed down next to him on the sofa, one arm slung round the back of the furniture, his fingers dangerously close to caressing Blaine’s shoulder.

“Hey killer, haven’t got the chance to speak to you much this evening” Sebastian announced, voice strong yet quiet, speaking directly into Blaine’s ear making a light shiver run down his spine. God, he smelled so fucking  _ delicious _ .

“Uh, yeah, well, I’m popular so people want to hang out with me, so” he replied, embarrassed at being caught avoiding Sebastian, but his liquid courage overtaking any ability to actually feel shame. He twisted his body a little, so he was looking head on at Sebastian, taking in the way his hair was slightly sticking to his forehead, pupils a little blown out, and the neck of his t-shirt was drooping a little, exposing more collarbone than he’d ever seen on his co-captain. He swallowed, hard, and felt his eyes drag all along his body, shamelessly drinking in the figure before him, allowing himself to look in a way he’d never given himself permission to do. 

“Can’t disagree with that, you’ve been the life of the party Mr Anderson” Sebastian murmured back, his head only a few inches from Blaine’s, whisky on his breath and his skin almost hot to the touch where their arms met. True, Blaine had been pretty vocal and present so far, letting himself be almost fawned upon, his heart (and ego) needing it after being torn just a few hours ago. In fact, he’d barely thought about Kurt since arriving, his ex pushed to the far back of his head. And now, sat next to Sebastian, it was the furthest thing on his mind. 

Blaine dragged his eyes up to meet those green ones, focused on the way his pupils slightly grew when they met, his cheeks lightly flushed and mouth gently parted. “You haven’t done too badly yourself; I’ve seen you turn down 2 boys already since you’ve been here.”

Sebastian just chuckled, the sound low and deep in his throat, and his arm dropped down slightly, moving from the back of the sofa to lightly resting against Blaine, the contact making his whole body feel electrified, a dangerous warmth pooling in his stomach. “Yeah, not interested. Plus, I’m their captain, I wouldn't want to take advantage of them with my position of power.” His voice deepened as he said the last three words, eyes focused on Blaine’s lips, and fingers tracing gentle patterns on his bicep. 

Blaine had never been this turned on in his life, his words sending an intense jolt though his body. He and Kurt had never gotten particularly physical – yes there were times he wanted to, he had obviously been attracted to his boyfriend, but not this deeply intense hunger that he felt, an insatiable lust that was crawling up inside him. He was aware that he was sitting on a sofa, a house full of his friends, a room with his peers in it, but he couldn’t bring himself to move away, the idea of people watching them not bothering him in the way he thought it should. 

He and Sebastian were just sitting staring at each other, thighs touching and the taller boy’s hand tracing his bicep. The air between them was thick, neither one moving or speaking, just silent stares between lust-blown and wandering eyes. Blaine allowed his hand to reach out slightly, tracing up the middle of Sebastian’s thigh, his fingers touching so gently they barely connected with the material, but it was enough to make his co-captain sharply draw a breath and tighten his grip on Blaine’s bicep. He didn’t know what had taken over him, he shouldn’t be acting like this when his boyfriend had only left him half a day ago, shouldn’t be feeling like this when he was so freshly single. 

The magnetism which drew him towards Sebastian was just too strong to resist though, unable to keep himself away. He blamed it on the alcohol, the cocktail of liqueur that was coursing through his veins, but it was so similar to the reaction he felt when the boy had first walked into his Warbler audition that it was pointless lying to himself.

His fingers slowly trailed up the thigh in front of him, and when they traced slightly to the left, venturing further towards the inseam of Sebastian’s jeans, a large hand grabbed his wrist, causing his head to jerk up. Sebastian was staring at him, eyes almost black, long fingers curled around his wrist, and all of a sudden he felt himself being pulled up off the sofa, and dragged from the room, legs going willingly.

Sebastian led him into a small empty room by the stairs, pushing the door closed behind them and crowding Blaine up against it. He let himself be pinned back, legs between each other and Sebastian’s hands either side of his head, slightly leaning down to compensate for his height. Blaine could feel his own heart hammering, a slight pulsing through his whole body, lips parted and breathing heavily. It felt like every nerve in his body was standing on edge, an intense desire in himself that he’d never felt before.

Looking up at Sebastian, his expression was of a hungry passion, a similar face to his own, his eyes focused upon his lips, bodies urged together. Blaine wondered if he should say something, break the silence between them, ask why he’d been dragged into this room as if he didn’t already know the answer.

“Blaine…” His name escaped Sebastian’s mouth as almost a moan, the whisper seeming to surprise them both, as if the taller boy didn’t even realise he said it. The sound shot a jolt of lust through him, and suddenly Blaine found himself jerking forwards, crushing their lips together with as much force as he could muster. Sebastian responded immediately, bringing one hand to the back of Blaine’s neck to push their faces closer together, the other snaking up the back of his top, nails lightly scratching at the skin. 

Blaine felt himself moan at the contact, wrapping his arms around the other’s waist, opening up his mouth so their tongues connected, the kiss deep and hungry. Sebastian pinned him further against the door, hands roaming and clawing desperately, moving his mouth from Blaine’s lips to trailing down his jaw, lightly grazing his teeth against his earlobe, eliciting a deep moan from Blaine, as he ran his hands up Sebastian’s t-shirt to run against the tight muscles of his chest.

They were being loud and messy, everyone probably knew what they were doing, how they’d been looking at each other, and he found that he didn’t care – he  _ wanted  _ people to know what he was doing, what Sebastian was doing to him. He felt a deep mark being sucked onto his neck, a tongue dragging across the teeth marks, a hand snaking down to grab at his ass, jerking their hips closer together. 

His senses were completely overwhelmed, the intoxicating scent of Sebastian’s cologne mixed in with sweat and whisky, drowning in the musk of the other boy. He grabbed at Sebastian’s chin with one hand, dragging it back up forcefully so their mouths could reconnect, licking his way in and grazing his teeth over his bottom lip. It was desperate and lustful, a dirtiness to what they were doing that Kurt never would’ve allowed, he would’ve thought it embarrassing or awkward, but here was Sebastian, taking what he wanted and giving him everything, grinding against him and pinning him against the door. Blaine had never really thought of himself as submissive until this moment, but the white hot lust that scorched through him whenever Sebastian grabbed him harder or restrained him against the wood made him seriously rethink what he thought about himself. 

Their hips moved slightly, and Blaine felt Sebastian through his jeans, hard and straining, and they rubbed together, slotted against one another so perfectly the friction was driving him crazy. Sebastian pulled his head back a little, removing his lips and catching his breath whilst his lower body still grinded. His lips were swollen, red and wet, parted beautifully, eyes black and hungry, underneath hair which was thoroughly dishevelled. Blaine found himself barely able to catch his breath, the boy in front of him so unbelievably beautiful. Something twanged in his chest, a feeling which wasn’t just physical attraction, but the threat of something deeper, lighting inside him when he looked at Sebastian. 

Instead of dealing with that, he attached his lips to Sebastian’s neck, grazing his teeth over his pulse point before sucking down hard, hands gripped on his hips.

“Blaine…fuck”, Sebastian moaned, coming out soft and almost like a whine, the words tumbling out of his mouth. Blaine smiled against his neck, and brought his hands down lower, fumbling with the buckle on his jeans when - 

“Anderson? Smythe? Where are you? We’re taking our group photo now you assholes and we need our captains!”

Blaine dropped his head down on Sebastian’s shoulder, Nick’s voice cutting through their moment like a fucking chastity belt. Above him, he heard a light chuckle and whisper of “for fuck’s sake”, and felt Sebastian slightly step back.

“Coming Duval, untwist your fucking panties”, he yelled, hands tracing down Blaine’s sides before removing himself from his body. Blaine felt a sudden shock at the lack of warmth, and all he wanted was to grab Sebastian’s top and pull him back in, but their moment had kind of been ruined now, Nick was a huge boner killer. He smoothed down his hand and attempted to straighten out his clothes, fully aware that nothing he could do right now could fix the fact that he looked like he’d been slammed against a door and made out with. Sebastian seemed to be having a similar train of thought as he tried to make himself look presentable, a small smile on his lips. 

But, they always tried to get a photo of them all together in their celebration, a reminder of the fun they have, alongside their more formal picture in uniform. Blaine shook his head, trying to compose himself, not dwell on the fact that he’d just experienced the best kiss of his life, and couldn’t help the feelings that arose whenever he looked at his co-captain. He still felt guilty, and ashamed, but those emotions were slowly being drowned out by the new, confusing feelings he felt rising up. 

In front of him Sebastian calmed down his hair and slightly pulled on Blaine’s sleeve, removing him from being plastered on the door. 

“Come on then Anderson, let’s go” he said, shooting him a small wink before stepping out the room, Blaine trailing helplessly behind him. 

There wasn’t exactly much they could do to deny what had just happened, as they re-entered the living room, Sebastian with his characteristic nonchalant confidence, Blaine looking a lot more guilty and awkward, their friends stifling giggles or just flat out whooping. He flipped them all off instead, and saw Jeff shoot Sebastian a strange look, before being pulled in for a group photo, a self-timer camera propped up on the fireplace. He ended up next to Sebastian, who had been glaring threateningly at anyone who dared make a suggestive comment about them but allowed them to be placed next one another as co-captains. An arm snuck round Blaine’s waist as he smiled for the camera, his face flushed and grin wide, and he wondered if anyone would believe him if he said it was just because of the drinking. He wondered if he could even convince himself.

~

It had been a week since Thad’s party, and their victory at sectionals, and he and Sebastian still hadn’t talked about what had happened. 

After their make out/dry humping session had been rudely interrupted, both of them found themselves pulled away by their friends to talk, sing, or referee weird wrestling matches, and had never found each other again. By the time Blaine woke up in the morning splayed over a sofa, Sebastian had already left, probably getting up early to sneak out without being caught. Blaine didn’t know what to do. Sebastian had  _ initiated _ the kiss, had wanted it just as much as he had, and clearly had enjoyed it and wouldn’t have minded if it went further. But on Monday morning, when they saw each other in the canteen at breakfast, Sebastian had started talking to him about music for regionals and what colour sweater he should buy as if nothing had happened. And Blaine just didn’t know how to bring it up, how to react to that situation. 

The other Warblers clearly didn’t know what to do either, awkward looks cast at the two of them and a weird tension when they were all together, but after the third day it had dissolved a bit, the boys clearly thinking that that’s just how things were now. Blaine didn’t want that to be how things were now.

He’d spoken to Nick about it, mainly due to the fact that he shared a room with him so couldn’t really get away with not talking about it, his roommate pestering him non-stop for a whole day before he gave in. Nick had been very entertained, staring at him from the edge of his seat, giving very varied facial expressions throughout the story, and looking downright miserable when Blaine got to the end and said the fact that Sebastian just clearly wanted to avoid ever talking about it.

“That doesn’t make any sense though, he was looking at you like he couldn’t decide if he wanted to eat you or like, tuck you into bed the whole night?” Nick had explained, with a slightly strange analogy. Blaine had just sighed and flopped down on his bed.

“Some people just like things physical, one offs to release some tension – Sebastian isn’t exactly a feelings or relationship guy, so I’m not too surprised” he’d replied, to which Nick didn’t have much to say. 

And that was the reality he’d accepted over the past week. It was probably for the best anyway, he’d  _ just _ gotten out of a relationship, and wasn’t exactly looking to settle down right now, and Sebastian was clearly not one for monogamy or emotions, so that was that. 

The first time he really accepted it was when he rounded a corner and saw some senior pressed against a wall by Sebastian, lips attached and hands wandering, doing something way too sexual for high school, but his co-captain tended to just get away with things like that. Blaine froze, rooted to the spot unable to tear his eyes away from the boys in front of him, ignoring the whispers of people walking past. He blinked away any threatening emotions, and turned on his heel, practically running to his next class. That was what Sebastian wanted, and he had to accept that. He just wished he could get that kiss out of his head. 

~

Blaine strode down the corridor, satchel slung over his shoulder and a pile of paper in his hands, trying his hardest to stop them from spilling all over the place. He was running slightly late for a Warbler rehearsal, having lost track of time in the library going over some notes, and the way Sebastian had been acting lately he really didn’t want to give him any reason to chew him out. He hadn’t been necessarily  _ mean _ or anything, just a bit more of an asshole than usual. Last week he’d actually suggested blackmailing the New Directions, and Blaine didn’t even think he was kidding. After their sectionals win with a large chunk of their biggest singers out of action, it was clear they were going to pose a threat, so their regional prep had gone uphill big time. 

He pushed his way into the senior commons, swatting away giggles at his late arrival, and walking over to stand next to Sebastian at the desk. 

“Nice of you to join us Anderson, very reassuring to know you take this as seriously as the rest of us.” Sebastian was decidedly in asshole mode today then. Great.

“Sorry, was in the library and I just lost track of time. I apologise guys. Where we at?” He tried to brush past his tardiness as quickly as possible, as well as ignore Sebastian’s tone as calling him out wouldn’t help anyone. 

Sebastian leant off the table and stepped forwards, moving to the centre of the room with his arms crossed over his chest. Blaine tried very hard to ignore the way his blazer stretched across his shoulders so attractively. 

“Set list discussions, we know that we’re going to perform 3 songs rather than 2 – the New Directions do it so we can as well, and it means we can display more variety. Our energy and dancing are some of our best features, so it’s safe to say that 2 of our songs should be more upbeat, play to our strengths” he recapped, going over the details they’d confirmed over the past few sessions. 

“Before you finally decided to grace us with your presence Blaine, we agreed that we should have one slower number, something which can really display our vocal strength – we’re the only acapella group, so let’s show everyone that we work twice as hard as them all with our singing”

He spoke with such clear leadership and authority all Blaine could do was nod his head and try not to be a little turned on, as well as pissed off with how rude he was. He was just so commanding, and directed the group with diction and control, you’d be foolish not to admire it. And he really wore the shit out of that blazer goddammit.

Nick stuck his hand in the air, dumb grin on his face. “But when we say slow song, please understand that does  _ not _ mean Candles, or anything like that.” That produced a chorus of laughter, even Sebastian chuckled so he’d obviously been filled in. Blaine just flipped him off and rolled his eyes, used to those jokes by now. He was surprised to find it didn’t even really hurt his feelings, the thought of Kurt not sending those sharp daggers through his heart as expected.

“Yeah yeah, no Candles, I know. I know last week Jeff mentioned Glad You Came, I think that could really work for one of our songs – especially if we’re doing 3, it’s high energy and probably a good crowd pleaser” Blaine offered, pleased when it earned a murmur of approval. 

Sebastian nodded his head in agreement, he’d seemed eager for the song since it was mentioned (not that that had anything to do with Blaine bringing it up). “I’ll get to work on some choreography with that, we can start going over some vocal bits today. Me and Blaine will talk about ideas for our other two songs, but if anyone has any suggestions please feel free to come to us, we’re open for you guys to talk to.” 

Blaine smiled, pleased they were making progress with their setlist, and happy he had a few ideas flowing already. God, he could only imagine how chaotic things were at McKinley. Although actually, he remembered seeing something on Tina’s social media that suggested they may actually be planning ahead for once. He still had a few of them all on Facebook etc, after hanging out with them all a few times, he’d always got on well with Tina anyway. 

“Yeah, anything at all come forwards, we know we’re going to have actual competition this time around with the New Directions, and apparently they’re thinking of doing Michael Jackson for regionals, so we’ll have our work cut out.”

A few of the Warblers turned and gave him funny looks, but it was nothing compared to the expression Sebastian pulled, eyebrows high and head tilted. 

“What do you mean? Are you seeing Kurt again?” The words left Sebastian’s mouth before he had even realised he’d said them judging from the way he reeled back after blurting that out, almost shouting at Blaine. 

“No? God no – I just saw something that one of them posted online, I’m still friends with some of them on social media that’s all” he replied, crossing over his arms and furrowing his brow, not impressed with Sebastian’s outburst. Why did he even care if he was seeing Kurt? He’d made it perfectly clear he wasn’t interested in him, as it had now been over 2 weeks since they’d kissed. 

Sebastian actually looked a little embarrassed, something rare for him, which Blaine took a little pleasure in seeing. That look was quickly replaced by one of being deep in thought, and then he started calling out Warblers to get into their vocal groups and warm up, clearly deciding that conversation was over.

~

The rest of the rehearsal went smoothly, starting to piece together some light choreography and sorting out harmonies, Blaine had said he thought Sebastian should take the solo, and was met with no resistance despite the taller boy not auditioning, so that had been decided. His co-captain was also in a suspiciously good mood, giving out compliments and praising people – he said “good job” to  _ Trent _ , who looked as if he might cry with happiness. He brushed it off, trying not to get suspicious of him just for being less obnoxious, as it should probably be something celebrated not interrogated.

When rehearsal ended, Sebastian walked over to him and stopped a few inches away, smiling down with a look of genuine interest. “Hey killer, I know you’re done for the rest of the day, do you wanna go grab a coffee? You smashed that rehearsal and you look like you’re pretty tired out, my treat?” And he had asked so nicely, and his eyes had sparkled just right, that Blaine felt himself incapable of saying no, just feeling his face warm up and nodding way too quickly. He had wanted to laugh and say “fuck off, invite some other guy who will blow you in the bathroom”, but the words had escaped so he just agreed.

Which is how he found himself sitting at a table in the Lima Bean opposite Sebastian, coffee cup cradled between his hands, and legs tucked underneath his chair to avoid playing accidental footsie with the boy who had his long limbs stretched out in front of him. They’d arrived and Sebastian had ordered for them both effortlessly, paying before Blaine even had the chance to think about getting out his card, and moving them over to a table by the window. 

“So do you have any ideas for regionals then? Beyond Glad You Came of course” Blaine asked, blowing lightly on his coffee. He was determined to have a nice, normal conversation with Sebastian, brush off any flirting and just try to relax. “I’m happy you’re taking the solo as well, I just think you’ll bring a certain energy and ‘coolness’ to it that wouldn’t quite fit with me.”

Sebastian smiled, laughing softly at when he used bunny ears to bracket saying ‘coolness’, which kind of proved his point. “I have a few things on my mind, nothing concrete yet though. Going to try and have the choreography sorted soon, at least a skeletal framework of it, get the boys aware of their spacing and that.”

They continued chatting, Blaine filling him in on some old Warbler stories from the previous year, mainly just the embarrassing ones – when he told him about Meatbox streaking across the courtyard he nearly snorted out his coffee which was certainly memorable. He felt himself get happier as their  date catch up went on, playful banter and light teasing between the two of them, as well as a few stories about Sebastian’s family which were rare.

He noticed both their cups were empty and offered to get refills, but his co-captain jumped up and shook his head, saying that today was all on him, so walked away to get them more. Blaine hated the way his heart jumped at the small act, had to remind himself Sebastian wasn’t that guy, he didn’t want that from him. 

He craned his neck over to the counter, and saw that Sebastian wasn’t even there, which was odd. Slightly lifting himself out of his seat, he peered around the café, trying to spot that tall frame and familiar blazer, before catching his eye on the navy on the other side of the room. He was stood talking to a group of people, and wait was that…?

Oh my god.

Blaine jumped up, and ran over to where his co-captain was standing, directly in front of several members of the New Directions. This was awful. As he arrived, he could hear the tail end of whatever Sebastian was saying and caught the words “Michael Jackson”. This could not be good.

“Sebastian! What are you doing?” Blaine hissed through gritted teeth, grabbing onto his sleeve. The taller boy didn’t seem to be fussed, keeping his smirk on his face as he looked down at the New Directions, who were staring at them in some kind of horror. “Uh, hey guys… For whatever he’s just said I’m sorry… I have no idea what he’s even said I’m just sorry.” That seemed like the best thing to say. 

Only then did he notice Kurt sat there, perched next to Rachel with a very irritated look on his face, and Blaine realised this was the first time he’d seen him since the breakup. Quickly, he dropped his hand from Sebastian’s blazer and coughed, smoothing out his own attire. He looked around at the New Directions expectantly, waiting for them to fill him in. 

Santana crossed her legs and leant back in the chair, looking thoroughly unimpressed. “Fievel here just said you told him we were thinking of doing Michael for regionals, but since you got first draw  _ you’re _ going to do Michael?” Her voice was venomous, fixing Blaine with a stare so intense he wouldn’t be surprised if he dropped dead. He sure wanted to. 

But he couldn’t believe what he was hearing – they hadn’t said anything about this. “Uh, no that is not true at all, we haven’t discussed doing any Michael” he replied, whipping his head round to Sebastian who gave a little snort, clearly unhappy that Blaine hadn’t gone along with him. “And I didn’t mention it to incite any negativity at all, I just saw that Tina had posted about it and brought it up in our rehearsal – but only to say that you guys are our biggest competition and doing an artist like that would up the stakes, we are definitely not trying to steal from you!” Blaine tried his best to sound as honest as he could, shooting Tina an apologetic look over the glares she was getting.. 

“Well, we haven’t made any solid arrangements but the ideas on the table” Sebastian announced, clearly not wanting to drop it. “And Blaine will come around, I can be  _ very _ persuasive” he finished, drawing out those last two words as they rolled around his tongue, coming out deep and ridiculously seductive, which wasn’t helped by the way he accompanied it with a gaze over Blaine’s body. 

This was going horribly. 

Kurt looked like he was torn between shooting himself or Sebastian, his knuckles white as they gripped his coffee cup, and Blaine had never wished more to be able to be swallowed up by the ground. 

“Oh so it’s like that is it? Legolas and Frodo humping round the Shire? Getting their little private school freak on by fucking each other in the choir room?” Santana demanded, leaning forwards in her chair and jabbing a finger their way. Blaine felt himself burn up, although a little impressed with her Lord of the Rings knowledge. 

“No! No, no it’s not like that, no. He’s just being an asshole, I’m sorry guys” Blaine offered, hating how weak his voice sounded. He wasn’t even lying! They weren’t like that, apart from that one, singular, time, and that was 2 weeks ago so it barely even counted.

Kurt scoffed from across the table, fixing them both with a glare so cold Blaine could barely stand to look at him. “Not likely, bet you crawled right into his lap, just where he wanted you.”

Blaine saw white for a second, taken aback by Kurt’s sharp comment. What’s worse is that he was  _ right _ , he’d gotten with Sebastian only a few hours after they’d broken up, and whilst nothing had come of it, it had still happened, he was still that person. He could barely open his mouth to deny it. The bitterness in Kurt’s voice was so cold and direct that it didn't help his guilt, although he was hurt by his comment, suggesting he was some kind of lap dog, and weak. Next to him Sebastian straightened up, and his expression went from amused and cocky to stern. 

“Watch it Gayface, or this drink will be dumped straight over your knockoff jeans and jacket that even Elton John would reject because he thought it was too gay. I wouldn’t start criticising Blaine here when you’re the one who gave up the best thing that will ever happen to you, and you don’t even have the audacity to be attractive or have a good personality.” His tone was so severe it took Blaine by surprise, used to Sebastian’s humoured insults and lazy criticism as it rolled off his tongue, not this stark attack, vicious and determined. Kurt opened his mouth as if to say something, but Rachel put a hand on his arm and shook her head. 

“We were only thinking about Michael, we hadn’t decided anything yet. I suggest you stick with your original ideas and know that  _ all _ of us will be performing in regionals, so start rehearsing” she announced, in her classic tone of being slightly obnoxious and completely demanding, flicking her hair over her shoulder and sitting back. Blaine knew that was their signal to leave, which had been a long time coming anyway. 

He nodded sharply at them, mumbled another “I’m sorry” for good measure, and dragged Sebastian away by his sleeve, his co-captain throwing a cheeky wave over his shoulder as he left. Blaine was furious and ashamed; their relationship with other show choirs had always been amicable, and although there would’ve been tension between them anyway with the whole Kurt situation this was the last thing they needed. 

“Sebastian what the fuck was all of that?” he spat out, speaking underneath his breath as to not draw too much attention to themselves, but unable to stop himself letting his voice rise a little. They’d returned to their previous table and Sebastian leaned against the chair, not meeting his eyes with an annoyed expression on his face. “Is show choir personal drama really something we want to deal with right now, the competition itself will be enough fucking stress.”

He sighed, running a hand over his face, feeling some of his rage disappear into something more like disappointment and confusion, he just couldn’t understand  _ why _ Sebastian would go out of his way to cause problems, not when there was simply no reason to. He and Kurt may not have ended on the best of terms but his ex didn’t deserve that, not at all.

“Come on killer, I just want to win, and pissing them off doesn’t exactly make me upset” Sebastian replied, groaning as if this entire conversation was boring him. It was infuriating.

“Well it makes me upset! We’re better than this, the Warblers are better than this, we don’t need to resort to manipulation and foul play to get what we want!”

Sebastian turned his head to fix Blaine with a cold look, jaw set and eyes firm. “Maybe you’re better than that, I guess I’m not.” And with that, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the cafe, not looking back. Blaine saw the whispering heads of the New Directions in the corner, Kurt’s stare hitting him from across the room, a mix of confusion, anger, and jealousy, and he turned his head in shame, wondering if he looked as pathetic as he felt whilst he quietly left the cafe.

~

He’d had to call David to come and pick him up from the Lima Bean, as Sebastian had driven them there and had promptly left before Blaine had the chance to make it to the carpark. When David had asked why exactly he had to come and drive all the way to a shitty coffee place and collect a miserable looking Blaine, he was met with deathly silence, which he had quickly understood to mean ‘don’t ask.’ 

He was furious - not just for being ditched, but by that whole situation Sebastian had gotten them into, his words and actions taking Blaine by surprise, not understanding where it had all come from. His sudden shift in mood during rehearsal - the very thing which had prompted him to ask Blaine to get coffee - was only because of his slip up in mentioning Michael, not because of any actual happiness or eagerness to spend time with him. And now all the New Directions were convinced they were some kind of sex crazed, power hungry maniacs, ruling the Warblers with manipulation and orgies or whatever. 

Since his return to Dalton yesterday, where he had thanked David but then quickly ran off to avoid any further questioning, he had been in his room, dreading his and Sebastian’s meeting later in the day. They were supposed to be meeting up to create a shortlist of suggestions for regionals which would be presented to the Warblers, but he knew if Sebastian even as much uttered the words ‘Michael Jackson’ he’d be dangling him out the window by his fucking ankle. He’d been too wired up to even think about songs anyway, regionals just seeming like the symbolic representation of his stress at the minute. But, he cared more about the Warblers than letting Sebastian’s tendencies get the better of him, so he tried his best to ignore those feelings as he made his way over to his co-captains room. 

Taking a deep breath and telling himself to just get over it, he knocked firmly on the door, waiting until he heard a shout of “come in” before pushing it open. He’d been in Jeff and Sebastian’s dorm before, coming in several times to drop things off or meet to go to class, but this was the first time the two of them had been alone in the room, as Jeff was off somewhere with Nick. The two of them alone in the dorm felt strangely intimate, the beds and photos and strewn clothes an unfamiliarly domestic environment.

Blaine shut the door behind him, taking in Sebastian who was sprawled across his bed, blazer off and sleeves rolled up, several sheets of paper surrounding him. He suddenly felt a little formal in his full uniform, even his blazer buttons done up, but told himself he was just picking to try and find things to make him more uneasy. Sebastian looked up and gave him a small smile, adjusting his body so he was now sat on the bed, one leg tucked underneath him and the other extended out off the side, his shirt slightly dishevelled. 

“Hey, sorry lost track of time a bit, forgot you were coming round” he said casually, smoothing down his hair slightly from where it had gotten a bit dislodged. Blaine tried not to feel annoyed at the fact he hadn’t been as obsessive as he was with them seeing each other, but it  _ was _ annoying that he didn’t seem to care, seeing as the last time they’d spoken Sebastian had literally stormed away from him. How he could act completely nonchalant and unbothered was just infuriating. 

“It’s fine,” Blaine said, face firm, determined not to just give in and let himself be won over by a cute smile. He moved over to the desk chair, awkwardly sitting himself down so he was facing Sebastian, but far enough away there was no chance of them touching. 

His co-captain shuffled through his papers, sorting them into a neat pile. “So, regionals setlist, we already have one down but we need to get a move on with the other two, no one’s said anything to me yet so looks like it’s gonna be up to us, what you got?” Blaine held his breath when Sebastian spoke, waiting for the words ‘Michael’, ‘Jackson’, or even ‘New Directions’. But they never came, and his look of surprise was promptly ignored by Sebastian, who pretended to just look at his notes instead.

“Oh, right. Well, I had one idea, but it’s a little different from what we usually do” Blaine offered, a random thought popping into his head. Honestly, he hadn’t prepared anything, but a phone call he’d had earlier from his mother reminded him of something that could actually work. “A few years ago, before my brother moved to LA, we used to like, make our own mashups and performances and that, and we had this arrangement of Rio/Hungry Like the Wolf, the Duran Duran songs, that I think could really work with us.” 

His completely on the spot thought seemed to be received well, Sebastian sitting up a little straighter and looking off to the side for a moment, as if running through the songs in his head.

“It just has a really great energy to it, and is good in comparison to Glad You Came as it works with an older crowd.” Blaine added, gaining more confidence in his idea as he went on. His relationship with his brother was complicated, but musically they’d managed to get on well; his mother had rang him earlier in the day, mentioning that Cooper was going to come to Ohio soon, just to visit the family for a bit. Whilst it would be good to see him, the prospect made him a little apprehensive, not sure if he could handle that ego and obnoxiousness again, especially now he had that damn commercial.

“That sounds good, I definitely think we could work with that. Do you have sheet music or anything for it? Obviously as a mashup it’ll require a little more work but nothing we can’t handle.” Sebastian seemed pleased with the idea, writing something down in front of him, nodding along as Blaine spoke, and he felt some of that tension disappear further.

“Uh yeah, it’s back at home but i’ll get my mum to send it over. It’s a duet though, so we'll need two people.” 

Sebastian quirked an eyebrow and gave him a funny look. “Well you’re obviously one of those two people killer, it’s your arrangement. We can hold auditions for the other part if you want?”

“No!” Blaine blurted out, slightly cutting off his co-captain’s words as his exclamation kind of just fell out his mouth. Blushing slightly and widening his eyes, he realised what he just did was probably very weird. “Uh, I mean, I want you to sing it with me. We don’t need auditions. I think, uh, it’ll suit your voice.”

He internally groaned at how much he sounded like a fucking idiot, practically begging Sebastian to sing with him, hating how much he was not hating him right now, when he should still be very pissed off.

“I am already taking the solo in Glad You Came though” Sebastian added, tilting his head to the side, an amused smirk on his lips. 

Blaine just felt himself shrug, and picked at the hem of his blazer. “I know, you should do both though. You could always give a few lines of it to Jeff or something if you want, but I just think that it should be me and you for this one.” He could feel Sebastian’s eyes on him, boring into him as he spoke, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible but failing. 

“You know I’d never refuse to sing with you killer, not even if you wanted to sing S&M up on that stage.” Sebastian paused, and dragged his gaze up and down Blaine’s body, lightly biting at his lip. “Although actually, I think that would be pretty hot.”

His mind went blank, completely frozen as he took in what Sebastian said. There he was again with the flirting, the compliments, the looks that made him want to strip off right there and then. It was infuriating, he was so hot and cold Blaine just had no idea where they stood. “You can’t do that,” he said, standing up from the chair alongside his exclamation. “You can’t just, flirt with me and look at me like that, not when I know that tomorrow you’re going to just ignore me.”

Sebastian had the decency to look a little upset and offended, before switching his back one more characteristic, complete with an eye roll. “Calm down killer, it was just a joke.”

Blaine shook his head, scrunching his eyes shut. “No. You don’t get to joke like that, not when you clearly just want to play with my feelings. I have no idea what I want, I only ended it with Kurt a few weeks ago, but you  _ know _ that I’m attracted to you but you’re just toying with me!”

“Blaine… I’m not…” Sebastian sighed, and stood up from the bed, closing the distance between them a little but still maintaining enough space that Blaine didn’t feel crowded. “I defended you, yesterday, in the Lima Bean.”

Blaine blinked at him, confused to what the  _ fuck _ that meant. “And? You only had to defend me because you went over there in the first place and spouted some complete Michael bullshit, and then you stormed off anyway! So what does that even matter?” He was aware he was shouting now, fists clenched at his side and his breath heavy. 

“I just want you to be honest with me Sebastian. We kissed at the party and I know you liked it, and then you pretended like nothing had happened, so I just got on with myself even if it hurt, didn’t kick up a fuss or whatever. But you still  _ flirt _ and insult my ex boyfriend, and say all this nice shit it’s just complete mixed messages and I'm confused.”

His stare at Sebastian was one of desperation, the begging in his voice overwhelming the majority of his anger, as a lot of the feelings he had bottled up for so long spilled out. Sebastian took a slight step forward, reaching out with one hand to lightly trace down the lapel of Blaine’s blazer. He stared up at him and sighed, eyes soft. 

“I did like when we kissed. A lot. And I’m sorry I shut you off after. I just don’t really do things like that, you know? For me I keep things physical and isolated, never going to the same place twice. But you made me  _ feel  _ something. After our time working together and actually becoming friends once you started putting up with more of my bullshit, I couldn’t separate the emotional from the physical and so I pushed you away.” He spoke calmly, conveying an honesty which Blaine knew he wasn’t faking, a tone of sincerity in his voice that betrayed his feelings, something rawer than Sebastian usually produced. Usually he was blunt and truthful, but this was on a different level where it was like he didn’t actually want to be. 

“I went to speak to the McKinley lot because that's what I do, the kind of asshole behavior that I expect from myself, and I wanted to feel like that version of me again. Seeing Hummel made things so more real, his face just reminding me of how much you deserve, how fucking special you are and how I could never treat you good enough.”

Blaine’s mind was spinning, his body felt as if he had just disconnected from himself and was somewhere else. Sebastian wasn’t emotional, didn’t form romantic feelings for anyone. He flirted and teased, but that was it. Now he was standing in front of Blaine, saying he had felt the same way, thought that Blaine deserved better than him. He remained frozen, unsure what to say or do.

“Why didn’t you say something” he whispered, blinking firmly, heart pounding.

“I like being friends with you, and we make a good team for the Warblers, and I know that I would fuck up somewhere along the line if anything else happened so I just stopped.”

Blaine took a small step forward, furrowing his brow. “Well that’s not your decision to make Sebastian, I can make my own choices.”

Sebastian looked up at him, eyes slightly darker than they were a moment ago. “You don’t want this Blaine, you’re barely over Kurt and let’s be honest I’m bad news.”

“Stop telling me what to do,” he muttered, taking another step closer, allowing himself to look at Sebastian’s lips which were slightly parted. They were almost touching now, bodies aligned barely an inch apart, he could practically feel the heat flowing off his co-captain’s body. 

“You seemed to like it when I was in control the other night.” Sebastian’s voice was deep and slow, each syllable rolling off his tongue dangerously, and Blaine could feel the breath from his lips against his cheek, causing a shudder to go down his spine. He tore his eyes up to meet Sebastian’s, which were blown wide by lust, scouring into his face. 

“Well you were being much less of an asshole then.” He whispered those last words, barely audible, and then slowly wet his lips, tongue only just visible as it dragged along his lower lip. He heard a quiet moan come from opposite him and then Sebastian’s mouth was on his, crashing their faces together as hands gripped his hips, fingers bruising into his flesh. Blaine groaned into his mouth, and stripped off his own blazer before wrapping his hands round Sebastian’s waist, one finding its way under the shirt and scratching down the skin. 

Their legs moved backwards together, a fumble of limbs before the back of Sebastian’s knees hit the frame of the bed. Blaine detached their lips and stared up at him, before lightly pushing on his chest to make him fall backwards, and he scrambled up the bed until his head was against the pillow. Blaine felt himself staring for a moment, taking in the sight of Sebastian sprawled out on the mattress, shirt untucked and lips swollen, a disheveledness to him that was rare. Before getting on the bed with him, Blaine yanked off his tie and pulled his shirt over his head, leaving his chest bare, then climbed over and straddled Sebastian, thighs either side of each other. Nails scratched down his chest, as Blaine arched his back at the contact, desperately fumbling with the buttons on Sebastian’s shirt, getting halfway down before just pulling it off over his head. 

This was already further than he’d gone with anyone before, a part of him thinking that he should slow down, maybe talk things through, not rush into something with someone who had already done this and so much more with so many people without a second thought. But then he felt Sebastian beneath him, felt the heat of his skin and the way his hands grabbed and  _ claimed _ him and any thought of taking things slow jumped out the window.

He leaned down to press kisses along Sebastian’s jaw, moving to nibble on his earlobe eliciting a deep groan from the taller boy who thrusted his hips up at the action, sliding his hands down to squeeze Blaine’s ass. Lips travelled down Sebastian’s throat, as Blaine dragged his tongue across his pulse point, almost purring against the skin. He trailed his fingers down the hard muscle of Sebastian’s chest, letting them fall in the dips of his abs and lightly scratch over his nipples, as he sucked deep marks on his collarbone.

Blaine’s whole body felt like it was pulsing, his skin burning hot and his lust insatiable. Looking down at Sebastian beneath him, so thoroughly ravished with half-lidded eyes and flushed skin, he grinded his hips down further, desperate for more friction. 

Suddenly, Sebastian’s hands were on his waist and he flipped them, Blaine’s back now pressed against the mattress and the taller boy on top, half lying on top of him, propped up on one elbow. Blaine felt him fumble at his belt, and reached down to yank off his trousers, then helping Sebastian with his, both needy for more skin on skin. Seeing his co-captain this desperate and out of his usual suave self was something Blaine couldn’t get enough of, unable to keep his hands off the freckled skin or out of his ruffled hair, pulling lightly on it to make utterly sinful moans come out Sebastian’s mouth. 

They were both in their underwear now, Sebastian grinding down on him, foreheads against each other, panting heavily into each other’s mouths. The heat was almost unbearable, skin hot and the air thick, as Blaine’s hands bruised against hips and Sebastian’s fingers kneaded at soft flesh. 

“Blaine...I need…” The words were moaned against his skin, and his eyes rolled back in his head at the sound of Sebastian saying his name so needily. He snaked his hand down their chests until he reached the elastic of underwear, and pulled both of their boxers down, exposing themselves to one another. 

The removal of the final layer was almost too much, the contact making both of them moan and grip each other tighter, as Sebastian started thrusting into Blaine’s hands. 

“Fuck Blaine… wanted this since the moment I saw you” Sebastian whimpered between leaving wet open mouthed kisses down Blaine’s neck, occasionally sinking his teeth in a little. “That audition, looking so fucking hot just sat behind the desk, all wide eyes and soft lips.”

Blaine couldn’t help moan deeper at every word, as Sebastian’s hand returned the favour and he wrapped his long fingers around his length. “Wanted to bend you over the table right there and then, fuck you til you screamed.” His voice was deep and raspy, and Blaine felt his movements get more erratic, less regular, and he knew that Sebastian was close, Blaine not far behind.

“Come for me Sebastian” he muttered, lips grazing his earlobe as he moaned the words in, squeezing his hand just a little tighter, and then his co-captain came undone on top of him, crying out and tightening up, before almost collapsing. The sound tipped Blaine over the edge, spilling out and seeing stars, clutching Sebastian above him as he bit down on his neck as he came. 

They lay against one another, panting heavily, bodies damp, fingers trailing up and down each other's arms. Sebastian rolled over onto his back, and silently pulled Blaine’s body over so his head lay on his shoulder, an arm slung around his waist. He let his eyes close, just for a second, falling into a moment of calm and bliss.

~

Unlike the last time they’d kissed, he and Sebastian spoke about what happened. Well, they spoke about it and repeated it fairly often. 

They had lain in Sebastian’s bed for nearly an hour, just being with each other with trailing hands and gentle kisses, Blaine curled up against his shoulder. It was still the afternoon though, and didn’t exactly want Jeff to walk in on them naked and sweaty, so Blaine had reluctantly crawled out of the bed and slung on some of his co-captains joggers and a hoodie, smoothening down his curls a little. 

Blaine remembered looking down at the boy in bed in front of him, long body stretched out and a content smile on his face, staring up at him with soft, peaceful eyes. Before he had left to return to his own dorm, he breathed through his fears and asked Sebastian not to forget what they’d done, what he had said. His anxieties had been dissolved, the taller boy assuring him that he wouldn’t shut him out again, or shut himself off completely. And so far, so good.

They hadn’t spoken explicitly about the nature of their relationship in the past week, both content with sharing intimate kisses behind closed doors or secret glances, nothing public, just for the two of them. Blaine knew he wasn’t exactly ready for a full blown relationship, and suspected that just exclusively seeing one person was a big enough step for Sebastian, so they settled into a routine of hanging out, being public friends and co-captains, but in the eyes of anyone else, nothing more. Well, he figured some people were a little suspect, as their bickering had vastly decreased, and Sebastian hadn’t been seen making out with people in corridors, but no one brought it up so it wasn’t discussed.

Regionals rehearsals were now in full swing, twice a week for all the Warblers with additional choreography sessions for those who were a little behind, given the more complex nature of their dancing thanks to Sebastian. Trent had suggested a condensed version of Robyn’s Dancing on my Own as their middle song, their designated slot for a slower, more vocally focused performance, which had been greeted with an unanimous yes. 

It allowed for them to really show off their voices, and that they were doing what everyone else did but acapella, as well as powerful harmonies and a killer melody. Blaine had purposefully not volunteered himself, not wanting his friends to think he was greedy and wanted all the solos, Kurt’s words about ‘Blaine and the pips’ still rattling around his head sometimes. However, once the topic of who would take lead was brought up, Sebastian borderline demanded that Blaine should have it, arguing his voice was best and was the only one who could match up to whatever Berry was going to sing. His face had flushed and he felt his heart flutter with the fierce determination of Sebastian’s words; the fact that he _ wanted _ Blaine to have solo’s, and be in the spotlight, and wasn’t jealous of him meaning more than he ever could say. The Warblers agreed, and in return Sebastian shuffled around Glad You Came a little to give some solo lines over to other members of the choir.

~

Just over a week after he and Sebastian had started their ‘behind closed doors’ relationship, Blaine was leaving classes when a familiar face suddenly appeared in the middle of Dalton’s corridors. Oh god. Was he having a fever dream?

For some reason, Cooper Anderson was in his school, grinning like a maniac at him, striding down the corridor with aviators perched on his head and leather jacket adorned on his shoulders, arms wide as if expecting an embrace. Blaine felt his brain short circuit, books almost slipping through his fingers, and blazer feeling about 3 sizes too small.

“Squirt! There you are bud I’ve been looking all over for you!”

Cooper’s voice cut through the air, just a little older than the sounds of the students, and a lot louder than them, sounding excited as he approached Blaine, dragging him into a hug. He wondered how the hell he even got into the school, Dalton fairly tight with security, but he’d realised a while ago that Cooper tended to get what he wanted. Blaine let himself get hugged, returning it lightly with a few pats on the back, hating how small he felt next to his brother. He could already hear some whispers around him, either saying how handsome this random stranger was wondering if it was that guy from the credit commercials. For fucks sake.

“C-coop, hey. Uh, what are you doing here? I didn’t even know you were in Ohio yet?” Blaine spluttered out, pulling back from their hug and straightening out his blazer. His brother slung an arm around his shoulders, making him stumble slightly as they walked, Cooper leading the way even though Blaine was pretty sure he had no idea where he was going.

“Just got in this morning, dropped off my stuff at home and mom mentioned that you’re now a single man, so had to come and see if my bro needed some hugs or wingman action, i’m down for either squirt!”. 

Huh, that was actually kind of sweet, ish. Cooper had never liked to sound of Kurt too much, they’d never met but any mention of him had been met with an unimpressed look. And honestly, he bet that his ex would become a bit of a fangirl around him which sounded like an absolute nightmare. The one thing that made his brother even more intolerable was when he had a flock of cronies, and people dropping at his feet.

He stayed under Cooper’s arm but steered them down a corridor to the right, towards the senior commons as Blaine was due for Warbler rehearsals in 5 minutes, which was awful timing. “Oh, thanks, but I’m actually ok with the whole break up” he offered, giving a light shrug. “He initiated it but it was a long time coming, and I’m definitely better off now.” The fact he could say those words, and know for sure that he meant them, that he was happier now than he was in that relationship in their last few months, was a weight off his shoulders, fully accepting his happiness in moving on. 

It seemed to make Cooper happy too, as his brother stopped them in the corridor and playfully punched his arm, giving him one of his characteristic grins. “Oh buddy that’s great! And here I was thinking i’d have to be rubbing your head and sending over ice cream, that’s awesome.” 

Blaine gave a quick smile, still mildly confused by the whole Cooper-in-his-school thing, but happy he wasn’t being teased or anything yet. He looked around and noticed they were right by the senior commons, the doors open and a few Warblers already streaming in. 

“So I actually have a rehearsal to run now, it lasts around an hour so we could always catch up after-“

“No way! I gotta see what you guys are made of, I'll just sit in the session, maybe give out a few tips from a professional” Cooper interrupted, looking very pleased at the idea of joining in on their rehearsal. Blaine internally groaned, managing to restrain himself from rolling his eyes or banging his head against the wall, but just barely. He could deal with his brother, maybe over coffee, or at dinner, but in any form of performance space it was just traumatic. They’d always been competitive, but Blaine was just so much younger he’d taken the brunt of it all and was the butt of every joke, nothing he did ever good enough in the eyes of his brother, and he figured this wouldn’t be any different. 

“You don’t have to Coop, honestly, you’ll probably find it boring or whatever.”

His brother scoffed and chuckled, slapping him on the shoulder before fixing him with another dazzling smile. “Don’t be ridiculous squirt, this’ll be great!” And with that he strode off into the senior commons, leaving Blaine jogging in behind him. 

~

Introducing Cooper to the Warblers had been slightly traumatic. Even the straight boys had seemed completely taken by him, the entire room full of awed eyes and giggles, as Blaine awkwardly told them about his brother, speaking with his arms crossed across his chest and trying not to look like a stroppy child but failing a little. Cooper had then given himself an introduction, embellishing on Blaine’s statement a little, complete with an array of points and hand movements which nearly took out the front row’s eyes. 

Halfway through his little speech, Sebastian had walked in, running slightly behind schedule due to a meeting with a teacher, slipping in the room as Cooper was talking about some commercial or whatever, just silently raising his eyebrow. He went over to Blaine, standing next to him as Cooper finished off his talk and then gestured over to him as if to give him permission to continue when he was the damn captain. 

“Yes, thanks Coop. Uh this is Sebastian, he’s my co-captain here. Sebastian, this is my brother, Cooper.” Sebastian nodded slowly, lip quirked, but walked over to shake his brother's hand, not looking quite as besotted as the rest of the Warblers to Blaine’s relief. 

“Nice to meet the other Anderson brother, I see it all runs in the family,” he remarked, dropping down his hand. Blaine would’ve honestly been more surprised if Sebastian hadn’t been a little complimentary, but his time was light and not at all flirtatious which was reassuring. 

Cooper looked delighted by the boy in front of him, standing at similar heights and holding themselves in similar ways, both ridiculously charming and effortlessly handsome. “Nice to meet you man, glad you’re helping squirt over here keeping these boys in line.” 

Sebastian gave a smile and moved away to the rest of the Warblers, beginning the rehearsal by taking them through some warm ups. Cooper shuffled a little closer to Blaine, leaning against the desk and putting their heads together. 

“Tell you what Blainers, he’s pretty hot, and I think he’s into you.” Blaine had to stifle a laugh, nudging his brother with his shoulder. 

“We’re just friends, we work a lot together on the Warblers but that’s it.” He wasn’t sure how convincing he was being, but he owed it to Sebastian to not say anything at least. Not that he was entirely ready to go shouting out about how they were hooking up either, but his co-captain was even more reserved at the idea of being publically together, and telling a member of his  _ family _ about them was a whole other deal. 

Cooper waggled his eyebrows at him, giving a little cheeky grin. “Suuure, bet you want to work together on a lot more than that though.” Blaine punched his arm and gave a quiet ‘shh’ not wanting to draw attention to them, but not able to resist a small smile appearing on his lips, happy at this friendly banter they were having. Even if his brother could be egotistical and obnoxious, he had always been more than supportive with his sexuality and never once made him feel uncomfortable or ashamed, so he knew he had that to be thankful for. 

Over on the other side of the room, the Warbles had finished warming up, Blaine a little guilty he skipped it but knowing he would be fine without it, and they moved into starting rehearsing.

The first half an hour was spent on Glad You Came, the piece pretty much finalised, just reaffirming choreography and having Jeff and Thad comfortable with having a few solo lines now. Even Cooper looked impressed with it, giving very few comments for ‘improval’, but for the most part just singing along on the side and giving supportive cheers. After they’d focused on their first song, they all took a little break, Blaine not feeling too out of breath or anything as he wasn’t in lead for it. 

Cooper was chatting away to some of the guys, looking like he was giving them some sort of acting advice when Sebastian came up to stand beside Blaine. 

“I had no idea your brother was gonna be in town” he said, leaning against the wall next to him. Blaine huffed and slightly moved closer, so their shoulders were nearly touching. 

“Don’t worry, neither did I. He just showed up at Dalton today, here from LA for a bit. He’s not too bad, just can be a little full on sometimes.” Sebastian smiled down at him, giving him a small kick on the shin. 

“You know you’re still my favourite Anderson, right?” The statement was said lightly, not meant to be too serious but it still warmed Blaine’s heart immeasurably - his whole life he’d been deemed second best to his brother, and he didn’t know what he’d have done if Sebastian had fawned all over him too. “He seems alright, a bit much, and a little full of himself, but i’m not really one to talk so i won’t judge.” 

The two of them shared a soft smile, one of those small intimate moments for the two of them which were always brief in the company of others, but they still made Blaine happy. 

“Hey Anderson! Your brother said you guys should sing something for us!” Nick called out from where he’d been talking to Cooper, who was giving him a big thumbs up. He guessed that was inevitable, his brother loved to perform and loved to drag Blaine into stuff, and he knew this crowd would eat him up. Arguing would be pointless, Cooper was already taking off his jacket and queuing up music on his phone, the room clearing to the sides without hesitation. Sebastian just chuckled next to him, leaning down to whisper in his ear, “Good luck killer”, before deserting him to the sofa, the bastard. 

Cooper dragged him over and made him strip off his blazer, putting his hands on his shoulders. “Let’s do Gloria, show these boys how it’s really done.” Blaine grinned at that, the Laura Branigan song one of his favourites to do, and nodded before getting into position. 

They ran through the song successfully, falling into sync with their old choreography and hitting their harmonies, only  _ slightly _ competing with riffs towards the end, to the amusement of his friends. Performing with Cooper was always a rush; their voices complimented each other insanely well, but they both also wanted to be the best, meaning they pushed one another to the height of the abilities. Loud applause and cheers echoed from the Warblers as they finished, bowing dramatically and slapping each other on the shoulders. 

“Gentlemen, that is how it is done. Do something like that at your next competition and Blaine’s ex boyfriend and his pals will be dust” Cooper announced to the cheers of the room, Blaine rolling his eyes at the phrasing but still pleased with what they did, lightly buzzing with the leftover adrenaline. Sebastian was looking over at him with a pretty hungry look, giving him a wink as he stared, clearly very happy with the performance as well.

“Right, now that’s out of the way, Sebastian has some more choreography for Dancing on my Own so we’ll get started on that” Blaine stated, clapping his hands together, slightly out of breath but wanting to move on to more work. Singing with Cooper had lit a fire under his ass, and mentally he was in the zone to work hard for the remainder of the rehearsal. 

After another half an hour of advancing their work on their middle song, the Warblers called it a day, both captains pleased with the progress they’d made - clearly Cooper had been a motivating force for all of them, no matter how annoying that was. Everyone started to clear out, leaving Blaine waiting for Cooper to finish up giving ‘advice’ to some sophomore’s. Sebastian looked as if he was about to leave when Cooper jogged over and clasped a hand down on his shoulder, pulling him to where Blaine was packing up.

“Hey boys, why don’t the three of us get a coffee or something, it’s on me.” Blaine got a weird sense of deja vu from when Sebastian said something pretty similar, but this situation was far more strange. Even his co-captain looked a little confused, and his face mainly remained pretty calm. 

“Oh you don’t have to, I wouldn’t want to intrude on your family time” Sebastian said slowly, not wanting to offend but also not seeming like he knew what to say. Cooper just waved him off and huffed, giving a dismissive shake of the head.

“Don’t be ridiculous, it’s the end of the school day, and a handsome actor is offering to get you and your bestie some coffee, it’ll be fun! I always want to get to know some of squirt’s friends anyway” Cooper declared, flashing them both a toothy grin, and Blaine knew that was that. 

~

He honestly didn’t think he’d had a normal time in the Lima Bean for a while. Sitting at a table with his brother and Sebastian Smythe was definitely up there for least normal however, the three of them sat by the window, coffee’s in front of them. Cooper had walked in like he owned the place, obviously, and had flirted with the barista so excessively she had given them one of their drinks for free. The first 10 minutes had consisted of his brother telling them stories about LA, including strange anecdotes from auditions and set’s that Blaine struggled to believe even half of, but managed to be somewhat entertained at least. 

The next 10 minutes had been Cooper asking Sebastian a million different questions, including what his career plans were, what his parents were like, if his family had any history of disease, and various other weird shit. He claimed it was just to get to know one of Blaine’s friends, throwing in the odd question like “what’s your favorite colour” to offset the bizarre ones. Sebastian had taken it all in his stride, firing back answers as he relaxed in the chair, the two of them together the most disgustingly charismatic pair - Blaine would’ve felt a little jealous if not for Sebastian’s lack of adoration over his brother.

They had now settled into more of a normal conversation, the three of them managing to chat amicably about school and college plans for a solid five minutes before had to make it weird again.

“So are you two hooking up or what?”

Blaine slapped a hand over his lips to him from spitting out his mouthful of coffee, and just started coughing horrifically instead. Sebastian’s eyes bulged out a little, mouth dropping open in shock, in a face which would’ve been very comical in any other circumstances.

Cooper ignored their reactions and leant back in his chair, playing with the rim of his cup. “Come on guys I’m not an idiot, I can see the looks you give each other it’s not exactly subtle.” Blaine tried his best not to freak out, his mind was racing and shutting down all at once. God, Sebastian was going to be freaking out, he’d pull away again, stop talking to him, he’d didn’t want anyone to kn-

“We’re seeing each other yes, but Blaine only just separated from Kurt so we’re keeping things pretty quiet, so he doesn’t have to rush into a new relationship.”

What?

“What?” Blaine blurted out, Sebastian's word, cutting through his thoughts. Is that what he thought?

His co-captain tilted his head slightly, giving Blaine a soft but slightly confused look. “Killer, you said that this was all so soon after Kurt, I figured you wouldn’t want anything public or labelled.”

Blaine spluttered, mouth opening and closing. Thinking back, Sebastian had never actually said he didn’t want any more than this, that he didn’t want anything public, Blaine had just assumed, not wanting to risk anything happening. “I thought you didn’t want anything more, that you didn’t want to be in a public relationship as that was too big of a step for you” he admitted shyly, looking down at his coffee, not wanting to meet Sebastian’s eyes. 

He felt a warm pair of hands cover his, a thumb stroking over his knuckles. “Blaine, don’t you think I’d want everyone to know if we were together? You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, I would never be ashamed of that.” Sebastian’s words were soft and gentle, low enough that they went straight to Blaine’s heart, and he dragged his eyes up to meet the green one’s staring back at him, warm and open. 

Another pair of hands covered theirs, as Cooper leaned forwards and squeezed his fingers round their knuckles. “Oh you two are gonna be the death of me that is so cute. I’m so glad we all got to do this together.” Blaine kicked him under the table and Sebastian pulled a hand away to flip him off, unable to stop the smiles spilling over their faces at the complete idiocy of the older Anderson brother who seemed completely oblivious. Sebastian let his leg press against his under the table, a gesture which let Blaine know he was ok, the two of them sharing a soft look that meant they’d talk about it later, but just enjoy themselves for now.

~

Cooper had dropped them off at Dalton an hour or so later, after they’d slipped back into normal conversation for a while and actually managed to have a decent time. His brother had wrapped him up in a tight hug before he left to go home, and Blaine felt fulfilled, thinking that that was probably the best day they’d had together in a while. Once they were back at school he’d dragged Sebastian up to his dorm, desperate to talk to him after the Lima Bean revelation. Thankfully Nick was out so they had the room to themselves, both sitting next to each other on the bed when they arrived.

Sebastian took his hand gently, letting his fingers ghost along the pressure point, the touch reassuring and gentle. He lifted his eyes to look at Blaine, his gaze travelling over his face a little before settling on his eyes. “Did you really think that I wouldn’t want anyone to know we were together? I’d never be ashamed of you Blaine.”

He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, leaning into Sebastian’s touch. “It’s not really that, I just… I know that you’ve never been a relationship person, and ‘this’ isn’t really your thing, and I didn’t want to impose any of that on you, do anything that would make you uncomfortable. If stealing kisses and getting together behind closed doors meant that we could keep seeing each other that was more than worth it for me, as long as we were still together.”

Sebastian twisted their bodies so that Blaine found himself being tucked under his arm, legs out in front of them as a comforting hand ran up and down his back, and he felt himself melt under the contact. “I understand, I know that’s kind of what I’ve put out there. You’re just different, though - you make me want to feel those things and act like that, be that relationship guy I used to laugh at and now want to be. Every day this past week I’ve wanted to kiss you in the hallways, put my arm around you in rehearsals, and I haven’t felt scared about it. I just wanted to respect your boundaries, thought things were still a bit messy with Kurt.”

Blaine just shook his head slightly, body electrified by Sebastian’s words, as he spoke so calmly and almost bluntly, as if it was the simplest thing in the world to say what he wanted. “God we’re both so fucking respectful, thinking we’re helping each other when really we’re just obtuse. I’ve been at peace with being without Kurt for a while now; it hurt at first, but our relationship just wasn’t what it used to be, and you showed me what it could be like with someone who wanted me for me.” He felt arms wrap slightly tighter around him, the ghost of lips pressed into his hair.

“We must be pretty obtuse if it took your moron of a brother to get us together” Sebastian muttered with amusement, letting out an honest to god  _ giggle _ when Blaine launched on him, jabbing his fingers into his body in a mix of pointing and tickling. 

“Fuck off, he may be a moron but you’re not allowed to say that” he laughed, letting Sebastian wrestle him into the mattress, using his height as an advantage. 

“Ok ok, I just need to write him a thank you card instead then, he did us a pretty big solid” Sebastian said, in between pressing kisses down Blaine’s neck.

He hummed appreciatively, giving a slight nod as he let himself be touched, sinking further into the mattress and letting himself be wrapped up in his co-captain’s embrace.




regionals

notes: ok so i know that the time passed between sectionals and regionals is probs way too short, i mention time jumps and that but honestly i have no idea what i’ve written or what time is so like let’s ignore any facts. i also really liked the new directions regionals, but without blaine they would’ve been a little worse, and if the warblers had done 3 songs, and sung shit like i suggested off the top of my head they could’ve taken them lmao. the thought of the n.d not doing paradise by the dashboard light at nationals is sad as shit though because that is a god tier glee performance.

im not sure how i feel about this chapter lmao the beginning feels so clunky to me im sorry but i didn’t know how else to do the time difference stuff and idk

~

Blaine moaned into Sebastian’s mouth, as he was pushed further against the leather of the sofa, one leg wrapping around his waist and dragging their bodies closer together. He’d never get used to the way Sebastian felt when he was above him, he was sure of it, one hand grabbing his ass and the other tangled in his curls, nails scraping against his skill. Blaine angled his hips just a little to the right, and ran a hand down his back, just slipping his fingers beneath his trousers and snaking them dow-

“JESUS fucking christ stop it!” Nick’s voice burst through the air and effectively killed Blaine’s hard on immediately, groaning as he dropped his head down on the arm rest. “I told you, absolutely no fucking where we rehearse, that is off limits.”

Sebastian pulled himself off Blaine reluctantly, after he nipped a little at his jaw and purred against his skin, the damn tease. A crowd of Warblers stood by the door, a sea of very unimpressed faces at their captains who were both rumpled with untucked shirts. “We weren’t fucking Duval, I understand you’d be confused as you’ve never so much as held someone’s hand” Sebastian drawled, looking a bit too pleased with himself rather than embarrassed, slightly smoothening himself out before standing up.

Jeff just shook his head, letting the rest of their choir walk in the room as he chuckled at Nick and Thad’s melodramatic reactions. “Still, no one wants to see that shit, just keep track of time in the future, and remember you both have beds to be doing that in.”

Blaine stood up and hurriedly tucked his shirt in, shooting looks of apology to his friends before heading over to the desk at the front. Sebastian just rolled his eyes and lightly punched Nick on the arm as he sauntered over. “Yes, but it’s much more fun to do it here, more of a  _ thrill _ ” he said, winking on the last word and laughing when he was met with noises of disgust. 

“Anyway!” Blaine announced, clapping his hands together, eager to swiftly move the fuck on, “Regionals is tomorrow, let’s take it easy today alright? We’ve worked hard, got insane choreography, amazing vocals, great energy, and have all done the best that we can. If we perform tomorrow the way we’ve been rehearsing, then we have this in the bag guys. Let’s take it from the top, and then work on any bits we want to go over.” He grinned at them all, clapping his hands again to singal starting positions, and hopped over to the main floor. The past month they’d worked stupidly hard, their set practically flawless, and he knew the other choirs were going to have to do something nothing short of a miracle to beat them. 

As he moved to get ready for their run through, his eyes met with Sebastian, and they exchanged warm smiles, both equally confident. Since Cooper’s visit and their talk things couldn’t have been better; their relationship was public to the Warblers and anyone else who saw them, not hiding anything but not shouting out anything either. They were happy just being themselves, Blaine knew he didn’t need a facebook status update for him to know Sebastian cared about him, they were young and just taking things as they went. 

Everyday he felt himself falling harder and harder, unable to resist the effortless charm of the taller boy, and his inner, goofier self which he kept hidden. The term ‘boyfriend’ hadn’t really come up; everyone knew they were together and neither one of them would disagree with the term if someone referred to them as such, but it wasn’t something said between them. Blaine knew he was waiting for Sebastian to say it, as he knew that whenever he was fully ready he would - and he had no complaints about the way things were going now. 

They settled into their run through, hitting every beat and nailing every note, the Warblers a display of excellence and talent, and Blaine had never been prouder of his group. After they’d done, no one had any notes, so he and Sebastian told everyone to take the evening off, relax and get ready for the next day, fully prepared to take their trophy. 

~

Pulling up to McKinley, Blaine tried to push down the rising waves of nerves in his stomach, the sight of the school just bringing up so many old memories he’d had the luxury of forgetting. Next to him, Sebastian squeezed his hand, quickly bringing it up to plant a soft kiss to his knuckles, letting his lips drag along the skin in a way that helped melt away some of Blaine’s anxieties. 

He could do this. 

They were going to do this. 

Similarly to sectionals, there was a buzz about the Warblers, all of them filled with a palpable confidence, eager to get on stage and deliver what they knew was going to be a killer performance. Getting off the bus half the boys were practically vibrating, Nick and Jeff jumping up and down on the spot with goofy grins, and even David looking ready to do a flip or something. 

They made their way into the school, Blaine pushing away the memories he associated with the building, instead focusing his energy on preparing for their set. It wasn’t like their last competition, where his feelings about Kurt almost clouded his judgement, the rising anxieties about their relationship and his worth as a person nearly making him lose his mind. This time, he had Sebastian by his side, and a team ready to completely destroy the auditorium. 

As they were first on, they quickly signed in and made their way to the classroom assigned as their dressing room for a quick warm up before they had to make their way on stage. A few McKinley students were bustling about, no one from New Directions that they could see, as they went into their practice room, absentmindedly singing and warming up their throats. 

“Hey, you ready for this?” Sebastian asked, coming up to stand in front of him, arms lightly resting around his waist, the small touch just effortlessly making some tensions drift away. It always amazed him how the taller boy could often be so casually snarky and sarcastic, but then melt into someone who could give Blaine exactly the comfort he needed, so intimate and warm. 

“Honestly, yeah, I am” he replied, giving a slow nod of his head and snaking his arms around the other’s waist in return. “We’ve worked hard and I know we’ll make ourselves proud no matter what. Being here with you, competing with these guys here, it’s what I want.” He pulled Sebastian in tighter, letting himself inhale his scent and feel his body close against his own, before pulling away and setting his face in a determined grin. 

The two of them entwined their fingers and turned to the rest of the Warblers. “Come on guys, let’s head to the wings and get this going. All of you should be proud of yourselves, we’ve worked fucking hard so let’s show them all what we’ve got!” Sebastian declared to a chorus of cheering and whooping, fists pumped in the air and feet stamped against the ground. They moved out, confidently walking towards the auditorium as people rushed to take their seats in the audience, the Warblers heading for the wings. 

They’d just turned the corner when suddenly they were faced with a small group of people in matching gold and black. The creeping feeling of wariness set in Blaine’s stomach as he realised it was the New Directions, preparing to go into the auditorium. The array of Warblers walking past alerted the McKinley group to their presence, looking up at the sea of navy and red that were bustling past, some of the boys shooting them smiles, but most too focused on their upcoming performance. 

Blaine felt fingers tap on the back of his hand, Sebastian silently asking if he wanted to let go, but he just squeezed tighter, not wanting to lose the comforting presence. Several of the New Directions spotted them, an Asian guy Blaine recognised as Mike giving them a kind grin, and some others like Brittney and Artie showing a slight smile, but the atmosphere was still uncomfortably thick. Blaine was suddenly very aware the last time he saw any of them was that traumatic occasion in the Lima Bean, with Sebastian’s outburst and their very loud fight.

It wasn’t their finest moment. 

Luckily for them they didn’t have too long to hang about, having to go backstage soon, but Blaine still found his feet barely able to move, as if melting into the cheap plastic floor. His eyes landed on Kurt, who’s gaze was fixated on his and Sebastian’s hands, gripping onto one another tightly. The boy next to him gave a light squeeze and went to move forwards, walking a little closer to their opposing show choir, Blaine in tow. 

Up ahead, David, Nick, and Jeff had all hung back slightly, not too close to them but near enough they could intervene, his friends clearly not having too high hopes for this interaction. 

“Good luck today.” To his surprise, the voice came from Sebastian, the words sounding physically painful to him, as if saying them was like chewing on razors, but he said it nonetheless. “Don’t worry, no Michael Jackson from us, we thought of something better.”

His tone was light, and coming from him was almost an apology, the mild teasing intended to show some form of regret, and be able to make a joke out of the whole situation. Blaine knew Sebastian well by now, and knew that took a lot for him to say. His heart swelled at the gesture, as he knew there was nothing his co-captain would like more than to chew them out instead. 

Santana raised an eyebrow, mildly unimpressed but also not looking homicidal which was nice. “Thanks John Mulaney, we’ll be the judge of that though. Don’t trip and die out there.” And that was almost nice, which for  _ her _ was fucking delightful. Blaine fixed a smile on his face, hoping it didn’t look as strained as it felt. 

“Honestly guys, good luck, I can’t wait to see you perform,” he said with true sincerity, although he may have laid it on a little thick. “We have to get going, the stage awaits us, but, uh, yeah. Good luck.” Eloquent as ever Anderson. 

A tall blond guy Blaine remembered to be Sam jogged up to them, patting Finn on the shoulder as he passed. “Yo guys, we should head to the auditorium, the other weird choir is taking up loads of space.” He turned his head to notice Blaine and Sebastian in front of them, shooting them a big smile - he always liked this guy. 

“You two should go too, you’re on, like now. You’re the captains, right?” Sam asked, his voice kind and casual, not caring this was his competition in front of him. 

Sebastian’s lip quirked a little, and his back got a little straighter, giving Blaine’s hand an extra squeeze. “Co-captains, boyfriends, whatever you want to call us. Good luck out there,” he finished, shooting the New Directions a toothy grin before leading Blaine by the hand towards the backstage area. 

Boyfriends. 

If he thought he was head over heels before, this was a whole other story. He couldn’t stop the ridiculous smile growing on his face, eyes crinkled and nose scrunched, as every vein in his body flooded with warmth, feet feeling as if they weren’t even touching the ground they were walking on. He let himself be steered to the wings, only getting himself out of his romantic haze in the sudden shift to a darker room, where he allowed himself to look up at his  _ boyfriend.  _

Sebastian’s face was trying to seem unbothered, but it betrayed him completely, the pride and happiness basically radiating off him as green eyes focused on his amber ones. Blaine surged up onto his toes, bringing their lips together fiercely, a brief but passionate kiss that he poured all his emotion into, electrifying his whole body. He kind of regretted agreeing to solo Dancing On My Own now, that loneliness so different from the all encompassing sense of belonging he felt in this moment. 

Oh well, he was a good actor. 

Allowing himself one last peck on his boyfriends lips, he then took his hand and went over to the rest of the Warblers, waiting in anticipation to go on stage. Blaine took his place in front of them, standing up on a small box on the side to elevate himself higher. 

“I don’t need to say anything more than I already have, just know i’m proud of us, and I know we’re going to absolutely fucking kill it out there. Let’s go get our trophy!” he yelled out, sounding cocky but not caring. He was confident, he always had been, and he’d found that proud voice inside of him that had been lacking recently, wanting to speak his success into existence again. The Warblers cheered out, and a McKinley student gave them a thumbs up, allowing them to take their places. Blaine gave one last look at Sebastian, allowed those green eyes to give him all the encouragement he needed, and claimed his place on stage, ready to do what he did best. 

~

Blaine knew as soon as they stepped off the stage to the sound of raucous applause and cheering that they’d done well. Not just well, but completely fucking amazing. For the majority of their set the audience were on their feet, cheering along with their infectious energy; each beat was hit to perfection, not a note out of tune. His whole body felt electric, buzzing with the adrenaline he had soared through on stage. 

Being able to watch his boyfriend open the show, carrying their first sing with unbelievable confidence and charm was just as good as being up front himself, seeing him dance effortlessly and control the crowd with just a look. When it came for him to take the lead, there wasn’t a hint of nerves in him, the high carrying on over from their upbeat song into the slower beats of his solo. 

The Warblers often shied away from more exposed, slower songs, a lot of their strengths in energy and hype, but Blaine knew they made the right choice with this as their harmonies carried out through the auditorium, showing emotion as well as talent, letting the audience know that vocally they were faultless. And when he and Sebastian joined forces for the Anderson brother’s inspired Duran Duran mashup, Blaine knew they had this; their most intricate choreography yet combined with unmistakable chemistry and perfect harmonies. He’d never felt more alive in that moment, never happier. 

When watching their competition, he and the Warblers readily cheered on the New Directions, their performance undeniably good. Blaine maintained his confidence however, whilst appreciating the talent of his competitors his resolve over their own set didn’t falter, but glad that the McKinley group weren’t going to make it easy on them. He imagined if he had transferred schools, leaving Dalton behind, if he were up on that stage with the New Directions singing beside his ex boyfriend. It wouldn’t be too terrible, he thought, some of them seemed nice, and there was clear talent. But it would never be home, never be the place where he felt he belonged, not like the feeling he had when he sang with the Warblers. He clapped loudly when they finished, letting Sebastian put his arm around his shoulders and plant a kiss on his head, and knew he made the right choice. 

~

They won, obviously. Standing on the stage waiting to here the name being called, the amount of fear he felt was greatly outweighed by the excitement, his anticipation justified when the large golden trophy was placed in their hands, a swarm of navy and red hugging him and shouting, their mirage of sophistication wiped out in their victory. He felt Sebastian pull him into his arms right there on that stage, wrapped up in his embrace and legs lifted off the ground, a smile pressed against his cheek and fingers tight around his waist. 

Leaving McKinley was a chorus of singing and laughter, bright celebration from all the Warblers, giving each other piggybacks or lifting one another over their shoulders, swarming the parking lot towards the bus. Before they’d left, Blaine had crossed the stage and given Kurt a handshake, a light smile on his face as he took his ex boyfriend’s hand, hopefully dashing any bad blood between the two. His smile was returned, even if a little less genuine, it still meant something. 

Back at Dalton, they’d all piled into the senior commons, music blasting accompanied by questionable singing, the boys not wanting to let their celebration stop even for a moment, the party later on at Thad’s house too long away. Blaine was standing talking to Nick and Jeff by one of the sofa’s, listening to his friends ramble on about absolutely nothing important, just enjoying their incessant bickering and company. 

An arm wrapped around his waist, lightly pulling him against a firm chest, and he smiled as a kiss was placed on his cheek, Sebastian’s breath warm and face soft. 

“Oh god you two are gonna be so coupley now aren’t you. If you fuck on that sofa I promise that one of you will die a horrible death” Nick moaned, miming being sick into his hands causing Jeff to cackle. Blaine just kicked him in the shin and twisted round, until he was face to face with his boyfriend. 

“Hmm I think i’ll take my chances you know” he murmured lightly, leaning forwards to press a chaste kiss against Sebastian’s lips, who responded by nipping slightly at his jaw. 

“I have to agree, I don’t think you can expect me to keep my hands to myself when my boyfriend looks like that, it just wouldn’t be fair.”

Nick just groaned and walked away, dragging Jeff with him to go and annoy David. 

Blaine smiled up in front of him, marvelling at the softness in Sebastian’s green eyes, the way light patterns were being traced on his back, the gentle look of warmth and lust on his face. “Not sure i’ll ever get over you calling me ‘boyfriend’ you know” he said, feeling his lips quirk a little, relaxing into the arms around. 

Sebastian just waggled his eyebrows and grinned down, “Well you better get used to it cos I think I quite like the word you know. I can think of a few other names I'd like to call you as well.” Blaine rolled his eyes and let Sebastian pepper a few kisses along his cheek, heart fluttering at the light touches, still not used to be adored so much in public. 

“You know when we first met I thought you were an asshole,” Blaine murmured, one hand playing with the hair at the nape of his boyfriend's neck. “A very attractive and sexy asshole, but an asshole nevertheless.”

That seemed to amuse Sebastian, who laughed gently and nodded his head, landing it on top of Blaine’s curls in a kiss. “That’s fair, I am very attractive and sexy. And sometimes an asshole too. I like to think you make me a little better though.” He couldn’t disagree with that, Sebastian seemed to be less insulting with Blaine around, whether consciously or not, but it was still endearing. He loved the way his boyfriend could be snarky and relentless, but also loved the softer side he only seemed to show around him. 

“Well I am a lovely person, it makes sense.” Blaine threw him a wink and slightly tugged on the back of Sebastian’s hair to pull his head down, bringing their lips together for a moment, indulging himself in the scent of his boyfriend. He pulled back and leant up on his toes to whisper in his ear. 

“Why don’t we go to my dorm to get ready for later, you can tell me about all those names you want to call me” he muttered, letting his teeth slightly graze against Sebastian’s earlobe when he finished, relishing in the shudder that followed through his body. His boyfriend grinned down, eyes wide and dark, nodding furiously, before taking his hand, pulling him forwards. 

Blaine let himself be dragged out the room, ignoring the cheers and suggestive noises that came from the Warblers, just focusing on the warm hand in his, and the tall frame of his boyfriend in front of him. Walking down the corridors of Dalton, he knew more than ever that he’d made the right choice in staying - this is where his heart was.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading!! im killer-leo on tumblr


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